


Night Sky

by eternalempires, whoscountinganyway



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug Identity Reveal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:13:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26598868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternalempires/pseuds/eternalempires, https://archiveofourown.org/users/whoscountinganyway/pseuds/whoscountinganyway
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng has lost all her friends to depression and all her desires to anxiety and crippling insecurity. She's given up on trying to find a way to dig herself out of the hole mental illness placed her in, a bone-deep exhaustion making everyone feel too far from her and making everything lackluster.She feels like she has no one left, no one but a dorky tomcat named Chat Noir.And, pretty soon as something unexpected happened, she also has one former crush on her side -Adrien Agreste.He's determined to help her, to help her depression get better and to help her get her friends back.But can he do it?Will secrets get in the way?Will Marinette push him away, too?She doesn't want to but she knows that people can't love away her depression...it's hard to have friends when all you want to do is disappear anyway.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 22
Kudos: 137
Collections: Miraculous Ladybug





	1. Prologue: Be My Friend Again

**Author's Note:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Prologue; Be My Friend Again   
> 1/19

**PROLOGUE**

_I've learned that a true hero is not an extraordinary man. He may not impress the world, but he so greatly changes hers. That makes him utterly heroic indeed._  
**_-Joanna Davidson Politano_ **

  
As usual, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was late.

Not in the fashionably, one-minute excusable kind of late.

She was late in the way that when she walked in, all the eyes would turn towards her and someone might snap; she wouldn't have a single valid excuse.

How do you tell normal teenagers and her teacher who only have normal worries and responsibilities that she's exhausted physically and mentally from being a heroine?

How can she tell them her insomnia- -given to her by paralyzing fear of having a nightmare and becoming unsavable, or just remembering the things she's been through- -keeps her up most nights?

 _She can't._ That's the simple answer.

The only person in the world that could truly relate to her was Chat Noir -whoever he was under the mask. Over the last four years, they have both made more than sure to keep their secret identity just that; secret.

Their masks were the only thing stopping the increasingly vile Hawkmoth from hurting them through their families, friends and attacking them in their own homes. If the day came, where one of the superheroes would have to deakumatize each other, and they knew who they really were...their entire worlds could end.

Neither were willing to risk that much.

Marinette has always been shy, quiet, standoffish. Sometimes, even, she would be considered a pushover.

Her two kwamis- -the miniature goddesses of creation and multiplication, who give her the power of miraculous's to become her superhero self: Ladybug, Multimouse or now, Multibug- -Mullo and Tikki always helped her when they could. Even they had trouble waking up Marinette some days. Those days, if she did get up, she could barely function.

Transforming, it gave her just enough energy to get the job done. Most times, after detransforming, Marinette would collapse wherever she landed in her room.

Tom and Sabine, her parents, got used to checking up stairs just to see her curled up on her floor long ago. Now, her floor looks more like a nest with all the pillows and comforters spread out on it.

In a way, it was funny.

Someone looks at already unstable and tired teenagers only in their freshman year of high schools and thought, _yes, perfect. They should be the ones to save the world._

If she thought anyone else at this point could be a better ladybug than her- -which, she really didn't and neither did Tikki- -she'd give up her miraculous. Or, she would if it didn't mean giving Chat Noir up as a partner.

She loved Chat Noir, she really did.

Marinette just...she isn't _allowed_ to love him as Ladybug.

A while ago, Marinette gave up on emotions of the heart and went almost numb. She gave up on being able to love Chat. She gave up on her friend, Adrien Agreste, being able to love her. She just wants to exist.

When Gina Dupain, her grandma fell sick when she was in America, her parents moved there to take care of her -knowing that their daughter at 18 was old enough to manage things on her own. After hiring Luka and Kagami at the bakery- -Luka, because Kagami needed company she wouldn't threaten to stab, to clean up the bakery and Kagami herself to do the taxes and be the cashier. After all, they graduated a year before her already, so they could work most days. Marinette liked the break, all she had to do was bake and some days Alya and Nino would come over and help with her pre-made dough.

She liked the questions they didn't ask.

And having her parents be so far away was actually really good for Marinette, she was able to tell them that she's Ladybug without fear of them slipping up and letting Hawkmoth found out. But Tom, her father, did start a fan-club in America.

She was getting by, in fact she's had more money than ever with her fashion line by the 'anonymous MDC' trending in Paris. It was mostly due to both Adrien, Chloe and- -of course- -Jagged Stone being seen in her clothing. Adrien and Chloe in the Ladybug line she's done. Jagged, in her custom designs.

Marinette makes herself many Chat Noir designs, at least five sets of pajamas, six shirts, two hoodies and one dress. Not that she'd ever let anyone see her in the stuff.

Things that she, even, is refusing to sell.

She has a great Chat Noir line going already, that sells just as much as the Ladybug one. Why ruin her favorite, personal stuff?

It's the small things like this, that make her happy.

Happy is hard to come by.

Existing is enough for her.

But sometimes, even existing is hard.

Just like right now, she'd rather be doing anything except running into her school doors hoping that she doesn't get too many snarky replies or her feet kicked out from under her. That included disappearing.

_God if the ground could just open her up and swallow her whole._

I mean, with Hawkmoth it's already happened a few times. So obviously it's not too hard.

Thankfully, just as Marinette makes it up the stairs to her classroom her teacher- -Mrs. Bustier- -calls for the end of class early. The students flood into the hall, making Marinette relax. So she missed a class, she wasn't late for the class.

Somehow, in her mind, that was better.

Because she froze in place and tired enough she didn't know Adrien was running behind her and he didn't notice she stopped, the two collide. She is sent sprawling onto her hands and knees, Meanwhile the larger boy- -who over the last four years grew to a staggering 6'4 and filled out his frame- -just takes a stumbling step back.

He too, had been out all night fighting an akuma.

Not that either of them knew why the other was late, they have even stopped guessing at this point.

"I'm so sorry Marinette," Adrien says, slightly horrified when he sees her bloody palms and watery bluebell eyes staring up at him. "Are, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," Tired, and mostly numb to well...everything these days, she just nods at him and stands up. "I'm used to it."

The sentence slipped out before she could stop it.

She was too tired to care.

Adrien wasn't.

"You're...you're used to it?"

"Huh?" Realizing what she said, and shrugging, Marinette nods. "Lila pushes me down a lot, you know. She does it in class a lot. Or...I don't know if it's on purpose." She's been gaslighted a few too many times for her to quite know what she's imagining about the liar and what she's not. "You must have seen it but I know you like her as a friend more than me, please don't think I'm trying to change your relationships."

Adrien pauses, a bad feeling starting in his gut like the one right before he saw an akuma. But this time it was something much more sinister, a girl who managed to break down another without her feelings being manipulated by a villain.

A bully.

An abuser.

Whose actions when examined in detail looked nothing more than a few instances, nothing too big. Lately, Adrien has been reevaluating his position on Lila after catching himself staring at Marinette more and more.

Admittedly, he didn't catch when Marinette started to distance herself from everyone. It was so slowly, done so well, that the blue-haired girl didn't get anyone to notice until it was much too late. They didn't talk anymore.

Alya and her...neither thought they could be considered best friends anymore even if they wanted desperately to have that relationship.

Marinette purposely made herself seem like a stranger to everyone else.

Hawkmoth threatened everyone who she loved and Marinette figured it's easier to kill other's love for her than kill her love for them. Lila was manipulating everyone not to trust her anyway, so it was easy to jump the gun. And once Chloe switched sides to being anti-Lila and pro-classmates, well it was easy to fall back out of place and let Chloe become friends with everyone she left behind.

It took Alya three weeks to notice that Marinette moved to the back of the room.

Nino took her seat, and Chloe sat next to Adrien.

She knew that Adrien's dad, Gabriel Agreste, practically gave up on trying to control his son and let him do what he wanted. Adrien got freedom, he was mostly happy. That was good enough for Marinette to stop trying to help him. He got what he wanted, he didn't need a ugly klutz like her getting in the way.

As Ladybug, it was easy to keep up the pretense that everything was okay. Chat quickly got over his love for her (Mostly due to his newfound freedom which let him spend more time with friends, making him realize that Marinette was better. Sadly, she then just...dropped out of the picture.) so it was all work, a few jokes and silent patrols.

They were still partners.

They were just, well now they were just hardened by not being able to do anything about Hawkmoth time and time again.

Both of them knew and accepted that.

Marinette was often trapped by her own mind. Tikki and Mullo tried to help as much as they could, they kept her alive, kept her functioning and tried to stop the bad thoughts from eating her alive. Their keeper knew this, it was one of the reasons she didn't tell them she felt like she was already consumed.

The two kwamis already get exhausted nearly every night, Marinette didn't want to add onto their emotional exhaustion.

With a small, nearly-gone smile Marinette nods and walks away from Adrien.

And he lets her.

Tikki, flying up from Marinette's purse, hugs herself against her holder's cheek. "Are you okay Mari?"

"Yeah," Mullo, who hides between her holder's collar and neck, comes out of hiding as well. "How are your hands?"

Her smile grows, "I'm okay, don't worry guys. Mu, I think today Hawkmoth will take the day off but just in case while I sleep, can you watch the TV? I promise to use you again soon, but Kiki needs her rest after being used for three days straight."

"Of course Mari, I'm all rested and ready to help!" The mouse kwami squeaks out. "You need good sleep...or you could always have a friend over to get emotional rest?"

While Tikki amped her up and gave pep talks, Mullo was more of an advice giver/therapist for Marinette.

Instantly Marinette shakes her head, "I don't want to get them involved if I have to transform when they're over. And they'll have more fun in a group if I'm not there."

"I don't think that's -hide!" Tikki squeaks out, both her and Mullo diving back down to the purse when they notice Adrien stalking towards Marinette -who quickly turns and moves to leave.

"Mari!" The blond makes it to her, gentle grabbing onto her hands so she can't pull away from him like she always does. "Please, just talk to me."

"What do you want to talk about?"

She felt just then, that if he kept talking to her like he still was her friend that she'd burst into tears. But she couldn't risk that.

Not when there was a threat of an akuma attack.

If she got akumatized, she'd have to face her kitty. She wasn't willing to risk that.

"I just...it's been so long since we've had an actual conversation. I can recognize isolation on a person, and I don't like what it's doing to you. You've distanced yourself, I realize that. I don't know why but I want you to know that...I still want to be your friend. Okay? Lately I haven't done enough to show you that and I let you slip away, from everyone I mean. But I want that to change."

Adrien's green eyes flick over Marinette's quivering lips and her watering eyes, something deep inside his heart breaking. "Why have you stopped being my friend? I miss you."

"I just, I didn't -I didn't think I mattered to you and...it's better this way." Marinette admits, putting her head down. "You shouldn't have to, to put up with me and I...I didn't want to keep annoying you so much. I'm annoying. And clumsy, you know that."

"You don't annoy me, Marinette."

"Yo, dude!" Nino's voice calls out, interrupting the intimate bubble the two had raised around themselves. "Class is starting in a minute, get in here."

"Okay Nino, give me a second." Adrien turns back to Marinette, his hands pulling her closer. "Be my friend again?"

All Marinette can do is nod.

_Be my friend again._

She thought with all her problems, he'd never want to be her friend.

For once, it felt good to be wrong.


	2. Chapter One: City Of Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter One; City Of Love  
> 2/18

** CHAPTER ONE **

_The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right and make up for what's gone before, just because that's who he is.  
_ _- **Joss Whedon**_

Insomnia fought with Marinette and won.

This happened to her a lot, it didn't really bother her anymore. As long as she was able to stay in bed with her eyes closed, even if her thoughts weren't good, she wasn't completely exhausted in the morning and sometimes she even did get some sleep.

Today though, Marinette decided that she'd rather get some fresh air than pretend to sleep.

Staring out over a dark and quiet Paris felt calm to her, there were no warning lights, no police sirens, no screams. It was peaceful.

On her balcony, looking out over the night, Marinette noticed a dark figure sitting on a nearby roof, facing her. Her being Ladybug, she could instantly recognize that figure.

Chat Noir.

If Marinette was being honest, him just being close makes her feel ten times safer. Her kitty always did that, made her feel safe.

She couldn't really explain it.

He protected Ladybug, not Marinette.

Until she noticed Chat Noir jumping down from the building and bounding over to her, Marinette forgot that the kitty could see in the dark.

"Princess," Chat Noir says teasingly, landing on her balcony. "Don't you know you're supposed to be asleep this time of night?"

"Chaton," Marinette easily teased him back. Out of all the friends she's pushed away, she hasn't done it to Chat. He's the only one who she can't really know either. It seemed fair. "Don't you know you're supposed to pay attention to Paris when you're on patrol?"

A quiet but deep purr started in the base of Chat's chest -one he quickly silenced and traded out for a nervous chuckle. "What's Paris to you?"

"What is the Ville des Lumières, la City of Love, to a single girl? Why Chat, it's everything. It's beautiful. You can't replace it, not for anything. Just look at it."

He hums in reply, eyes on the blue-haired girl instead of Paris. "I know you can't replace it."

They're quiet for five minutes of peace when Marinette suddenly asks, "Why are you here Chat? Usually you just stop by after patrol, not during it."

Green cat eyes fill with amusement, "Trying to get rid of me?"

"If I was, would it work?"

"Nope, but nice try Princess." Her kitty pauses, leaning into her seated figure -easily able to slip between her thighs and press against her like he's dying to do...but restrains himself. He's not quite sure why. Friends hug all the time, but with Marinette it was different. "Insomnia again?"

Marinette nods, kicking him lightly in the thigh. "You didn't answer my question."

"I just wanted to hang out with you," Chat answers. "Maybe know more about you...?"

"You're not the first person to tell me something like that recently," Admitting this, Marinette casts her bluebell eyes to the ground; ashamed. "My friend Adrien, or at least, I guess he wants to be my friend now-"

"Now? You think that... _Adrien_ didn't want to be friends with you before?"

She nods, "Yeah. He just...I know I was so weird around him. I had this schoolgirl crush for such a long time but I didn't do anything about it."

Chat Noir coughs at this, clearly caught off guard, but doesn't interrupt her.

"Chloe is a jerk, but she's not a liar. She said that he'd never go for someone like me and his dad definitely wouldn't allow it. Besides, Adrien always acted like I creeped him out or something. Maybe I did. Me and my friends sort of...we just fell apart, you know? It was my fault. Stuff like that has always been my fault. I've never really had a friend stay with me, or fight to stay with me. But Adrien said he still wants to be friends, I don't know what he thinks that looks like or if he just wanted to remind me that he still considers me a friend."

"You should ask him." Chat advises, a small frown marring his features. "What do you mean when you said it's always your fault? What even goes wrong?"

"Anxiety and depression runs in my family and -should I be talking about this with you?" Marinette asks, only to receive a stiff nod. Hesitantly, she continues. "Okay, um, it runs in my family. Most of my friends don't get that. A lot of them think that you can love someone's mental illness away but you can't. It gets really hard for me when I'm in a bad place mentally, to keep up with all my healthy friends."

"So you just stop being their friend?" He asks this, ears dropped down. "That must be really lonely."

"It's been this w-way since I was in grade school Chaton, I'm used to it. Friends come and go for me, that's just how it works. I just haven't gotten any new ones because I still want to be with my old ones." Wiping at her watering eyes, Marinette lets out a small embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, I just haven't told anyone this."

Seeing her cry broke his self-control, making him wrap his arms around her and pull them flush into a hug. "I'm so sorry Marinette."

Without meaning to- -her being afraid to cry, in fact- -the blue-haired girl bursts into heart-wrenching sobs against Chat's chest.

"I h-hate myself," She cries out. "I just want to be normal. I want, I want my friends back. I want to feel good. I want to sleep! I hate nightmares. I hate sitting in the back of the class alone. I hate it. I hate myself. Can't this stop already? Please Chat, make it stop."

 _Don't beg,_ a snappy voice in the back of her head says. _He can't help you_.

"I don't know how," Chat replies, voice equally as shaky.

 _Told you_.

Nodding, Marinette holds him tighter. "T-that's okay. I don't either."

Chat Noir just tightens his arms around her, squeezing his eyes shut as he wills away his sudden anger at the world. A deep purr builds in Chat's chest the longer he holds her -making Marinette relax further into him until her breath evens out. He realizes suddenly that she fell asleep.

So much for insomnia.

Slowly- -forgetting his patrol duties- -and with great care, the kitty wraps her legs around his middle, lifts her up and keeps her head pressed safely against his collarbone.

Opening her hatch with his foot, Chat extends his staff to the bottom of the ladder and slowly lowers himself down -not wanting to wake her. Walking silently over to her desk, he climbs up the loft steps.

"Come on Princess," He purrs out, gently leaning over her bed to ease her down. "Time to sleep."

Covering her with the blankets, Chat sits on the edge of the bed and looks around her room.

He knows it's changed since they were in their freshman year. The desk and loft switched sides of the room, there's blankets over the floor around her chaise lounge which is almost directly under the ladder -which he figured was due to her clumsiness, a soft place to land. Her working corner has expanded and now takes up an entire half of her room -her closet doors ripped out and now a mannequin spot to put her half-finished products. The aesthetic in the room has slowly shifted from pink and black to blue and grey, making the entire space seem much more mature.

Chat Noir liked it.

Rather suddenly, he felt a yank on his tail and let out a soft 'mph' as he falls back down against the mattress. "What the-"

"Chaton," Marinette murmurs, her hand making a grabby come-here motion. "Warmth."

He can't help it, Chat's entire heart just melts at the sight. With a sigh, he lays down next to her and puts his hand in hers. Thinking nothing more than, _just five minutes._

✧ ★ ✧

Waking up was difficult for both superheroes -Chat Noir was groggy, senses confused and oddly comfortable and Marinette was so peacefully tired, feeling as though she never had a better night's sleep.

Sleeping was rare for her.

Sleeping this well, this deep for so long was even more uncommon.

Neither of them wanted to wake up and this Marinette's alarms- -Tikki and Mullo- -couldn't wake her up. Plagg was still being used to transform Chat Noir and Barkk was at home, waiting for his master to come back. He knew not to try and find him until tonight's patrol or if, from the TV that was left on, there was an akuma.

Barkk was Chat Noir's second kwami, the kwami of tracking, and could be summoned to Chat at any time due to the silver, single stringed necklace always tucked beneath his suit and of course, his unique ability to find things that don't want to be found.

Marinette herself had Tikki's black earrings and Mullo's black chained, black and blue pendant necklace on her at all times. With every owner, the more powers they unlock throughout time and the more they interact with kwamis, the more their miraculous begins to change into their 'style' and what they would best like to wear.

Both Marinette and Chat were now late for school, having missed the first two hours already and about to miss the bell for their third.

Neither would regret it.

Chat Noir was the first one awake nonetheless, by his own purring getting twice as loud as soon as Marinette rolled over onto him. Yawning, Chat puts his hand over his mouth only to realize that he is no longer covered in leather.

Reacting on instinct, he rips his right hand away from the thigh he had been holding onto and looks for his ring. As it's always been, it's there, safe.

Marinette wouldn't do that.

She respects him too much.

Plagg though, definitely would have, probably having gotten bored and tired from Adrien being transformed so long.

He wasn't Chat Noir right now.

He was just Adrien.

Something that Marinette couldn't know.

Covering her eyes with his hand, he gently murmurs for her to wake up until she does with a surprised squeak that turns into a yawn. "Chat?"

"I'm detransformed, Princess." Adrien gulps. "I need to find Plagg and turn back, or find a makeshift mask."

"There's masks in," Marinette, not bothered or even attempting to look, just flopping back onto her side to curl into the mattress. "Hanging on the sewing desk."

Surprised, green eyes just stare at her. "Most would kill to try to see who I am?"

"Yeah? Well," Still sleepy, the blue-haired girl giggles. "They probably think you look better without the mask."

He can't help it, Adrien rolls his eyes and turns Marinette over -knowing she's keeping her eyes shut even as he traps her under him. "I could be a model, you know."

"I know a few models, most of them are modest. And definitely don't go around going, 'look at my _purr_ -fect face, princess' every chance they get."

Sleepy Marinette is Cocky Marinette.

She can't help it.

Grabbing his face in her hands, she runs her thumbs over his cheek bones before gently tracing the outline of his features, one thumb happening to stop at the corner of his lips. "Never mind," Suddenly she realizes what she's doing when her heart starts to pound in her chest. "My hands have decided that you're not ugly."

"I'm not?" Putting his hand over hers, Adrien finds his face inches from Marinette's. She shakes her head, adorably, with her bottom lip between her teeth. "Then what am I?"

"Perfectly and extraordinarily normal." She says.

Adrien laughs.

Never in his life has he been told that he's anything close to normal. He's been told that he has to be perfect, he has to be amazing, the best he can be, better than others, the highest selling model.

But normal?

That didn't seem like it was allowed in his vocabulary.

"What's so funny Chaton?"

"You are-" Sitting up, Adrien hits the top of his head on her roof, making a loud concrete echo sound out.

For a split second, at the sound of his pain, Marinette opens her eyes. Quickly, she forces herself to pull her grey blankets over her head.

Clutching his head, green eyes clenched tightly, he croaks out, "Why?"

Marinette laughs to herself, never having done that despite her clumsiness -though she has rolled out of bed. "It's not my room's fault that you don't stop growing. Besides, that was funny."

Without being able to look at him, she knew Chat is glaring at her. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Mhm, it is." Being pulled up to Chat by the waist, Marinette squeals in surprise. "Chat!"

"What?" He laughs, pulling the blanket away from her face with a smirk she knew had to be there. "You're the one making fun of me and my growing body."

"You're nineteen, you should have stopped growing by now. I stopped growing when I was thirteen. You're a freak of nature. Besides, I thought only kittens grow as much as you do in a single year. Are you a kitten, Chat?" Her fingers press into his neck, accidentally scratching him, as she habitually goes to either grab or flick his bell. "Oops?"

As he usually does, Chat goes to get Marinette back for whatever she did- -whether teasingly on purpose or hilariously on accident didn't matter to him, usually by mimicking whatever she did but worse or more annoying, sometimes even flirtier if she misspoke or made a M-Rated joke- -but this time it leads to Marinette still being pinned to the bed under him, but this time with his hand wrapped around her throat.

Marinette gasps, making Adrien sputter and move his hand to her chin to examine her neck -not knowing how hard he grabbed her. Even without the strength his transformation gave him, he was a boxer, a fencer and a fitness model, making him stronger than what he thought was good for him at his age. Still, not meaning to grab onto her but doing so worried him.

Adrien was docile.

People could tell that much.

As Chat Noir, he could get playful, but has accidentally bruised Marinette before and is completely unwilling to do so again.

She was his weakness.

Hurting her was a life sentence in his books -it brought out the destruction in him. He wasn't quite sure why -other than her being the one friend he could tell anything to, when he was wearing leather anyway.

"Are you okay?" Asking this, Adrien's voice is filled with concern, a slight hiss in his breath. "I didn't mean to-"

"I know, I just didn't expect it!" Trying to comfort him, knowing how much he worries when he doesn't need to, Marinette grabs his hand and clutches it against both of hers to her chest. "You didn't hurt me, at all. I promise. Watch."

As Chat Noir, he's told her how he's scared his hands will destroy everything now -having nightmares of it.

Grabbing his other hand, she presses it lightly against the same spot Chat grabbed, trying to show that nothing bad will happen.

"I trust you, Kitty," Marinette tells him. "That won't change just because of poorly planned revenge from a never-done-growing kitten."

"Thank you Princess, you always know what to say."

Marinette smiles, knowing that's no-where near true.

 _If you knew what to say,_ the same toxic voice quietly says. _Then you'd have friends._

"Thanks Chat."

_Don't thank him. He's clearly blind, or worse, a liar._

"Welcome, now, the day's duty's calls." Chat, not guessing at her intrusive thoughts or the instinct for Marinette to push him away from her, ruffles her already messy bed-hair. "Either get some more sleep, or get your cute little butt to school."

"You're late too, mister." Marinette smiles up at him, still keeping her eyes closed. "Is Plagg around?"

"You have no sugar-cubes here." Plagg sourly answers for his master, the hidden meaning making his love's master giggle.

"Sugar-cubes are usually found in the bakery overnight, Plagg, with all the other sweet stuff."

"Then explain yourself Princess," Adrien interrupts them, running a hand through his blond hair as Plagg sits pouting against his collar. "Because you're always up here at night and you're the sweetest thing around."

Sticking her tongue out at him is the best she can do besides flipping him off when she can't glare, so Marinette does without hesitation. "Just leave already, Chat. I'm sick of you."

"Impossible."


	3. Chapter Two: Paris's Protector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Two; Paris's Protector  
> 3/18

** CHAPTER TWO **

_If you are not the hero of your own story, then you're missing the whole point of your humanity.  
_ _**-Steve Maraboli** _

The first weird thing that Marinette noticed was in the courtyard, is how Adrien Agreste made a b-line directly for her before changing last minute as if flustered or forgetting something.

Then, in Science class, when she walked by him Adrien grabbed her wrist with a smile, only to drop it without an explanation besides he forgot what he wanted to say.

Not that she had a valid reason not to, but she didn't believe him.

After that, for the rest of the lesson, Adrien silently sat by her in the back of the class.

He didn't say a word, didn't ask to sit there, just pulled out the stool and sat next to her. In a way, it was comforting for Marinette.

It was just his presence, no expectation for conversation or sharing notes, just two _friends_ sitting together.

Still, by the end of the lesson Marinette was overwhelmed by her emotions.

The bell rings, causing the class to rush out the door, even Ms. Mendeleiev left to get her lunch.

But not them.

Because Marinette grabbed Adrien's wrist, making green clash with watery blue seconds before she hugged him fiercely. The blond grunts in surprise, stabilizing himself on his stool -Marinette standing between his legs to be able to hug him without hesitating.

"Thank you," She chokes out, clutching onto his back. "I don't, you didn't...thank you for sitting with me."

Nodding against her hair, Adrien smiles to himself. "We're friends, remember? Besides, I didn't think you'd like to sit back here alone anymore."

Squeezing him harder causes Adrien to notice her shaking hands, making him frown but Marinette manages a smile. "Thank you, just, so much. At first I thought...I thought you were going to be like Alya. Asking to be my friend, just to be able to say you said it. And now I...thank you for sitting with me, even if it's just for today."

"Do you," Adrien pauses, looking down at her before glancing away almost shyly. "Do you want to get lunch together? Today, I mean. Electives are all we have after lunch anyway, if we're late at all we won't miss much and I know this great Italian place."

"Oh um...yeah? Yeah. That'd be, that'd actually be really nice. Thanks." Pulling away from him, Marinette blushes red as she sees how close they actually got. "You sure you don't have to eat with Nino?"

Adrien shrugs, "I really don't have to do anything I don't want to. And I want to get lunch with you Mari, not with him. So yeah. I don't."

Smiling, Marinette grabs her bag -one that now has a hidden cushioned room in the side for Mullo and Tikki to hide in. Adrien himself has a spot in the very back of his backpack for Plagg and Barkk -but one not nearly as professionally designed.

Walking together, the two manage to fall into a conversation about Paris's two most famous superheroes.

"Honestly, I think Chat doesn't even need Ladybug to get the job done." Saying this in a half laugh, Marinette smiles sadly to herself.

Adrien isn't quite sure if she's kidding or not, and is a little afraid to find out.

"Why do you say that," He asks her, trying not to let a hard edge come into his voice when they talk about his partner like this. "She's the most important one."

"I don't know about that, she sucks at offense and half the time takes forever to figure out what's useful about her lucky charm or make a plan. Chat protects them both, finds where the akuma's hidden and he's so caring, constantly. He handles the civilians, the job doesn't get to him like it does Ladybug. Anyone can tell. I've never felt as...er, I mean, around Ladybug unless Chat was there too."

Not realizing how Adrien is feeling, Marinette continues.

"Remember that time for like a week, they traded suits? Their powers. Their miraculous's? As a cat, Ladybug literally was unable to do anything good. She just slowed them both down. All she did was show up and jumped around. Chat did everything else, everything important."

"She's not useless," Adrien snaps. "Stop acting like she is."

"Oh I'm...I'm so sorry." She whispers, turning her head towards the ground. "I didn't mean it like that, they're a team. They need each other. They need balance. That's what teams do. I know a lot of people like Ladybug, I just didn't know you were one of them."

"She's my idol." He confesses.

Feeling guilty- -for seemingly no reason at all- -Marinette stays silent.

Moods instantly lighten when the two young adults walk into the Italian restaurant -Marinette recognizing one of her favorite long-term customers.

"Marcie!" The blue-haired girl bounces inside past Adrien over to a grandmotherly looking woman. "How's Cookie?"

Marcie gasps, rushing past the counter towards her and pulls her in for a hug. "Nettie! My darling, oh you're so sweet. My grumpy husband is up to the same as always."

Due to her husband, Luther, always ordering his wife as many red velvet cookies as years they've been together for their anniversary- -continually, since Marinette was 9- -she calls him Cookie.

Though Marcie has always been Marcie.

Something grumpy Luther complained about.

"Of course he is," Smiling, Marinette motions towards a certain more than confused blond. "This is my best friend, Adrien Agreste. We go to school together and have known each other for years, but he didn't say the name of this place. Otherwise I'd have introduced you long ago. He likes this place, or so I was told."

"Does he now?" Amused, Marcie looks over Adrien. "Well he's welcomed any time. Anyone who's a friend of a sweet girl like you Marinette, is a friend to my family."

The two women continue to happily talk to each other all the way to a booth, where Marcie leaves to get her specially made sandwiches.

"Best...best friend?" Adrien chokes out, green eyes wide.

Thinking back, Marinette pales as she realizes that is in fact, exactly what she said. "I didn't, oh my -I didn't mean to, to offend you or, I didn't," Her hands clutch anxiously against her chest. "You're really my only friend besides well, besides Chat Noir. It's just, it just slipped out. God, I can't even think how the savior of Paris would react if he knew I went around calling him my best friend. I'm sorry. Just -I know you have Nino and Chloe. And I'm sure you're close to Alya now too."

"Hey, hey," Adrien says softly as he grabs onto her hand, much too similar to a certain lovey cat for her likes. "Let's make a rule okay? Around me, you're not allowed to apologize for just existing. Deal?"

"That...sounds relaxing, actually." Shyly, she smiles as her bluebell blink up at Adrien. "Deal."

"Great," He laughs, dropping her hand. "Now, tell me how you know the owners?"

Though stammering a few times, Marinette dives into the cute story about meeting Cookie when she was 9 and keeping up the tradition, how she even gets him flowers because he gets his wife flowers, but nobody gets him any.

"But now my parents can't help me with their anniversary, so it's a little more taxing for me. I don't mind though, especially considering how in love they are..."

"Mari? What do you mean your parent's can't help?"

Frowning, Marinette leans all the way back in her seat from where her and Adrien were inches apart leaning over the table -laughing, for the most part. He instantly notices how mentally distance she gets, and curses himself internally for asking.

"Alya didn't tell you?"

Shaking his head, Adrien's blond locks fall in front of his eyes, making her smile.

In a strange way, Marinette had to admit that sometimes when she looked at Adrien the only person she saw was Chat Noir. It didn't bother her, she stopped trying to figure out who it was long ago, but it was comforting. It made her feel safer.

It let her breathe.

But it did make her feel a little stupid, as if her brain was missing something vital if it was that delusional to picture her playful kitty in leather when looking at the model in front of her.

Nobody looks at her and sees Ladybug.

Sometimes, she doesn't even feel like Ladybug.

"My parents are taking care of my Nana in the Americas, and have been for almost a year. They know I can handle the business. Kagami and Luka work at the cafe now, to help out. It's the same amount of hands." Picking at the ends of her jacket, Marinette blinks away tears. "I just...I miss them so much, but I can't leave Paris, even to help out my parents or Nana."

Adrien tilts his head at her, "Why not?"

_Because she's Paris's protector._

"Because my life is here."

Not what she really wanted to say but it's not a lie, apparently for Adrien that small sentence was believable -as if she even had much of a life anymore.

"Marinette," At his tone, she sucks in a harsh breath, locking eyes with him. "I hope you know you can tell me anything. Anytime you need, I'm there. For anything. Even if it's three in the morning and you need a hug, I'm there. If you can't actually tell me something, for whatever reason, I'll listen to the way it makes you feel. Like you said I'm your best friend, so it's about time I start acting like it."

Not trusting herself to speak, Marinette nods, a wavering but true smile pulling at the corner of her lips.

_Best friend._

Yeah.

Marinette likes the sound of that.

"Best friend?" Someone cackles out, a body shoving Marinette's over so she's squished in the corner of the booth. "Come on Marinette-"

Lila.

It was Lila next to Marinette, Lila who is already making fun of Adrien for saying that, Lila who had a too-tight hand on Marinette's shoulder and could kick her.

"-you honestly think he wants to be a best friend? It's so honorable Adrien, that you do charity cases like this!" Gushing, Lila tries to grab Adrien's hand but he scoffs and pulls away from her. She pauses, but her fake reserve doesn't break. "I always knew little Dupain-Cheng needed some friends, but I already had so many and couldn't get another one that constantly needed attention and reassurance."

 _She's right,_ the voice says. _You do need constant reassurance_. _You are a charity case_.

"I'm sorry," Marinette chokes out. "She's right, I should -you'd be, she's, she's better than, I'm sorry. I have to go, I have to-"

Grabbing her bag and hastily leaving a tip, Marinette bolts out of the restaurant -not even bothering to say goodbye to Marcie.

"Mari!" Her two kwami's exclaim in sync -flying up to cradle her cheek and wipe her tears. Tikki is the one that continues, while Mullo cuddles against her master's neck. "She's lying and she's saying that because she knows it will hurt you. Adrien expressed that he wants to be friends with you, go back in there, grab him and show her that you're going to be friends no matter how jealous she gets."

Marinette, shaking in every limb, sniffles before asking, "Would he even want me to do that?"

Mullo giggles, making light of the hard situation. "Who wouldn't want to get away from her?"

"Thanks Kiki, Mu." Clenching her fists, the young heroine turns on her heel and stalks back over towards the restaurant. "I'm going to fight for my friends this time."

Stalking inside the restaurant Marinette stomps right over to Adrien, grabs him by the wrist and pulls him outside without even giving Lila so much as a look.

Rain starts to lightly pour around them, making Adrien smile to himself. "Thank you, for coming back but now I have to blame you for how absolutely soaked we're both about to be."

"Welcome," Relieved but now shaking even worse, Marinette clutches onto one of Adrien's arms. "Would you mind if I fell down now?"

"Yes! Of course. Come on, my house is close, we can get dry there -I probably have something that fits you."

Marinette scoffs, "Adrien you're a six foot something model, I'm a scrawny five-two beanpole, what do you think you own that would fit me?"

Despite the awkwardly tense situation before and the rain now, Adrien finds himself laughing. "I don't know! Maybe like...yeah, probably nothing will come close to fitting you. But Chloe did leave some shorts from our last group sleepover, and I can give you a shirt. There, problem solved."

The problem got worse.

It got dark fast due to the clouds. Not only did they both get soaked but so did their shoes, bags, Mari's purse, the kwami's, Adrien's instincts kicked in when Marinette screamed at thunder so now he's hiding two awkward fangs- -which is what the time with a cat miraculous gave him when he fills threatened- -and Marinette herself was so cold that she felt in her bones and her teeth won't stop chattering.

They run up to his room and straight to the towels.

"H-here," Adrien stutters, helping Marinette out of her jacket and wrapping her up in a towel. Staring down at her with just the top of her blue-hair peeking out and those bluebell eyes blinking up at him, well, for some reason, it made him blush. "I um, I'll get you those clothes."

"Wait, but," Sputtering, Mari lightly puts her rather cold fingertips against Adrien's surprisingly warm cheek. "I see...what's in your mouth."

_Fangs?_

Marinette could swear she sees little points of sharp teeth digging into his bottom lip -Adrien obviously trying to hide it.

"Chloe tried to make me look like a vampire at the sleepover," The lie comes easy to him. "Prosthetic's didn't go now, go put on backwards and for the last two days they've been coming off. Must be that."

_Right, of course._

For a second she thought-

Well, it was stupid what she thought.

Due to her own extended time with the ladybug earrings, whenever Marinette is a particularly creative mood with her designs she'll get antennas. Sensitive antennas that can sense most things about her environment that often get in the way or distract her, especially the one time as Ladybug she got them during a hard lucky charm and Chat touched them.

Like who in their right mind touches a girl's antennas?

Then again, what kind of girl has antennas?

"Okay, sorry for asking?"

"Sorry for what."

"Asking?"

"Mhm, you don't need to be sorry for that."

"Oh," Marinette pauses, shivering. "Sorry."

Realizing she probably doesn't know she's doing it and more worried about her blue lips and pale cheeks than her apologies, Adrien grabs his comforter and wraps it around her too. "Warm?"

The burning of gaining feeling back in her body just begins, so Marinette shakes her head. "Can I change yet?"

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Rushing around his room, he grabs Chloe's shorts and one of his shirts before handing them to her. "Here. I'll change in my closet-" If she didn't know it was a walk-in closet, Marinette would be worried. "-if you get out before I do, make yourself comfortable."

Nodding, she puts his comforter back before stiffly walking into his bathroom.

"Mari?" Tikki calls out, Mullo silently following behind her. "Can me and Mu go up to the beams near the roof? We promise to stay out of sight."

Unknowingly to Marinette, Plagg and Barkk were already up there.

"Of course Kiki, you didn't need to ask for that. Let me know if anything comes up, okay?"

The two kwami's agree, flying through the door to meet the others.

✧ ★ ✧

Staring at herself in the mirror, blue hair dragged up into a very messy bun and eyes exhausted, Marinette can't help but dislike what she sees.

It doesn't help that Adrien's shirt made her feel smaller than what should be legal and Chloe's shorts made her feet fat. On Chloe they were two inches below ass level, booty shorts but on Marinette they were show-your-booty shorts. A distinction Marinette didn't miss.

Chloe was skinny, sometimes Marinette thought worryingly so but all the women in her family tended to look that way.

Marinette was slim, with muscles and curves. You can't look at her body and say she hasn't accomplished anything with it.

A knock on the bathroom door startles her, "Mari? Are you alright, you've been in there a while."

"I-I'm fine." Quickly deciding to keep the shirt all the way down to make it look like she's not wearing pants instead of tied up to actually show the pants she does have on, Marinette opens the door and makes a b-line to her bag to put her wet clothes away. "Thank you for the clothes Adrien, I'll make sure I wash them and give you and Chloe them back."

"Do you want me to put your wet clothes in the dryer? And do you plan to go home tonight, this storm is getting worse. I don't think my bodyguard would let me take the car out in this."

"Oh um, I hadn't really thought of it and um, if it's not a hassle? I'd like that." Smiling sheepishly, Marinette lets Adrien take her clothes from her. "I didn't realize how different me and Chloe were in size until now."

Raising an eyebrow, Adrien glances Marinette over. "You're just more...filled out, in a good way. She's just skin and bone. You have muscle. You've earned your body, she was just born with it and decided that was enough for her."

Giggling at this, Marinette shakes her head at him. "She's stronger than she looks, I'm sure. How else can she break so many phones every year?"

"I still haven't figured that one out, actually."

Laughing together, the two fall into a carefree night the second Adrien points out his Foosball table, which he dominates her in. But then Marinette and him started playing video games, something he can't win against her in.

"Not fair! Ugh," Flopping against the couch, he pouts at her. "Go easy on me."

"Don't be silly, K- Adrien," Marinette gulps at her nearly detrimental mistake, playing it off with another giggle. "You knew what you were signing up for the second you grabbed that controller."

"I guess you're right." He grumbles.

"Don't be sour! You won Foosball."

"Right," Within seconds his bright grin is back. "That I did."

She laughs, "Don't get cocky either!"

Throwing his hands in the air, Adrien playfully pushes her shoulder. "What options do I have left. I get but ass kicked, I can't complain, I can't compliment myself on the game I did win and I bet you'd probably had a problem with it if I was being super nice to you because you won."

Marinette rolls her eyes at him, waving her finger back and forth in a scolding way. "You shouldn't be nice to me because I won, you should be nice to me because I'm awesome."

"Is that so?"

With this simple sentence, Marinette sees Chat again and has to look away from Adrien. Nodding, she smiles at him. "That is so."

"Can you prove it?"

"I don't have to prove anything, that's fact. And if you want to deny it, it's up to you to get proof Adrien," Almost smugly, she smiles. "Which in no way, translates to being my problem."

"Ouch Mari," Holding a hand over his heart, Adrien winks. "That almost hurt."

Their banter continues long into the night -Adrien able to let Marinette ignore the thunder rumbling loud overhead and she able to let him loosen up outside of his suit.

It was enjoyable, more than enjoyable. It was fun and relieving and so refreshing for both of their souls.

Neither could wait to do it again, with or without masks.


	4. Chapter Three: Admit It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Three: Admit It  
> 4/19

**CHAPTER THREE**

_ To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something; to be inspirational is to be crazy enough to live a little. _ _   
_ **_-Criss Jami_ **

A man named Louis Caron was akumatized into a villain named CleanLine. As a power, he could immobilize any whose soul he deemed ‘dirty’ and wash their will away until they became numb beings used for his bidding. The worst part is that they remember everything about their life and would traumatize their families.

Mr. Caron was a janitor at Francoise Dupont- -Marinette’s school of choice- -and got fed up with all the children making messes but never bothering to speak to him or even say hello.

He was after the few students with a ‘clean’ soul, keeping them hostage inside the school.

Very out of pocket for whom Marinette deemed a quite nice man, but CleanLine wanted to destroy the world and clean only the clean left.

She thinks he might have some unresolved anger issues.

At first, since this started in school Marinette tried to find a place to transform but Adrien grabbed her and had her hide in the locker room with about five other students. She doesn’t know where he went and is hoping he doesn’t get ‘cleansed’ by CleanLine.

But now she can’t transform.

Tikki and Mullo can’t even help her!

The giant can completely white version of Mr Caron rips through the locker room’s wall -him having knowledge of where students hide when there’s an akuma. Laughing loudly, CleanLine sprays the doorways with bleach foam -barring students from leaving.

“Most of you are so dirty,” CleanLine pretends to sound sad before laughing again -clapping his hands together. “Time to get  _ clean _ .”

Rolls of what Marinette knew weren't regular toilet paper wraps around all three students but her and second year boy- -who made sure to always thank, smile and wave at the staff- -were left untouched.

Putting the three students, who smile up at CleanLine awaiting orders, CleanLine turns to Marinette and the boy -who scramble back on their hands and knees. 

“P-please leave us alone.” Marinette whimpers, shielding the younger boy with her body even sitting. “Please.”

“Oh Marinette, Gabriel, I don’t want to hurt you.” CleanLine grins, forcing Marinette’s chin up to face him. “I want to keep you. You’re m-”

“Actually,” Another voice, one that made Marinette tremble with the force of her relief, laughs out. “She’s mine. And because I do want to hurt you just for touching her but I don’t have to, I’ll ask nicely. Leave her alone.”

“Marvelous, you’re so infatuated with a clean one, it’s almost commendable if you weren’t so dirty.”

As the villain and Chat Noir smack talk each other, Marinette whispers for Gabriel to run. When he does, CleanLine notices and smacks Chat out of the way (through a wall) to grab Marinette and lift her off of the ground. “You dare let him get away from me. Oh what a fool am I to believe you are clean. You’re dirty. But you hide it. For that, I will clean away your love but keep your pain.”

“Don’t think so!” Chat, always the hero, uses his staff to knock into CleanLine’s head -from pain and surprise, he drops Marinette. She lands on Chat, trembling. “We have to get you somewhere safe.”

_ We have to get you safe. _

That’s exactly what Adrien said. Either she’s going insane or some pretty odd things are starting to add up when it comes to miraculous holders.

“Princess we need to-” Bleach foam sprays behind them as Chat runs with her, making him flip to avoid it, picking up Marinette in order to do so. “-hide!” 

Setting her down they run again, seeing the janitor’s closet- -that nobody is allowed in- -Marinette grabs onto Chat’s tail to stop him. With a deep noise that sounded a lot like ‘fuck’ he does. Grabbing onto the locked handle, he pushed it down until it breaks. 

“After you.”

Not wasting time, she grabs his collar and yanks him inside -narrowly avoided being seen by CleanLine. Tumbling together in the space, the two land awkwardly together face to face against the back wall.

“Hi,” Awkwardly, Marinette giggles, moving the air out from Chat’s eyes. “You talk a lot, you know that?”

He shrugs, “It gets the job done. You’re here now, aren’t you?”

She raises an eyebrow. “Your job was to pin me against you in a dimly lit janitorial closet and lean into me like...like…”

Mimicking his stance, she realizes all too suddenly that it looks as though they’re about to kiss. “S-sorry, I know, I know I’m not someone that...sorry-”

“No, it’s my fault, I…” Chat gently cups the back of her neck. “That was my fault Princess, I didn’t even realize I was doing it.”

“You’re fine Chaton, I promise.” Flicking his bell, she giggles and raises onto her toes -poking him gently on the nose. “Nothing happened.”

Even if a small, now hopeful part of Marinette wished it  _ did _ .

They’re interrupted by the door being melted away by something that smelled a little too much like acid. “Marinette, I’m going to distract him and when I do, I want you to run as fast as you can away and hide.”

Unknowingly to him, when she does manage to get away it’s not to hide; it’s to transform.

Joining the fight as Ladybug, she grins at Chat. “You got here fast.”

“Same thing can’t be said about you, Bugaboo.”

“Where’s the Akuma,” She asks, getting down to business. “This is the janitor, isn’t it.”

Chat Noir nods, looking solemn. “He almost hurt one of my friends, I’m trying not to be mad. I think the Akuma is in the spray bottle. CleanLine will throw all his other cleaning supplies away once he uses it but he never puts that down.”

From that advice alone, the two superheroes defeat CleanLine together -pissing off Hawkmoth once again.

This was nothing new.

  
  


✧ ★ ✧

  
  


“Princess,” Chat Noir sings out, laying on his back on her chaise lounge spread out like a starfish -twirling his staff over and over again. “Princess, pay attention to me! I deserve it.”

Marinette- -completely distracted and half-listening to music in her head and half making notes to herself -editing her sketchbook- -just keeps working on the sweatshirt.

It’s a green sweatshirt for Chat with a matching mask, one that will still conceal his identity if he needs to detransform in front of her again. She’s been designing it for three days, working on it between homework and patrol just to make him more comfortable. The heroine designed it so he can keep his miraculous in a hidden pocket if he needs to hide it after detransforming -knowing she wished she had something like that the times she’s been a little too close as a civilian to an akumatized person for her liking. The mask is more than just identity hiding, it also is very hard to remove unless you know the secret to it. Though the ears on the sweatshirt hoodie was purely for the aesthetic.

Narrowing his green slitted eyes at the blue-haired girl, her kitty waits until her hands are empty to extend his staff all the way across the room -catching her in the waist and sending her sprawled across Chat Noir.

She squeaks loudly, cheeks flushing red.

If she’s being honest Marinette almost forgot that he was here, her being so used to being alone.

“Perfect,” The silly kitty purrs loudly before holding his hand over his mouth, trying to cut off the sound. “Oh no, off, off, off-”

“Wait, wait,” Marinette giggles, pulling his hand away and pinning it down, his other one holding onto his staff still. “Are you _ purring? _ ”

Flushing further, he shakes his head, green eyes wide. “No.” 

Then his body started trembling from how hard he was trying to stop himself from purring, his body really really wanting the sound to break from his chest. His girl smiles widely, pushing a hand flat against his chest to stall his shaking.

“You are!”

“I’m not!”

He’s purred before, just for a few seconds before the hero was able to stop himself and if she was conscious she’d know he purred when they fell asleep together. It must be triggered by attention or physical contact, like a real cat.

Testing the theory, Marinette cups the back of his neck and hugs him -wrapping herself around him completely.

Hugging her back, as soon as his hands are squeezing against her thighs Chat’s control breaks and the loudest, deepest purr the blue-haired girl had ever heard echos around her room. It causes a smug snicker to break from her lips.

“You’re so mean,” Chat says, wrapping his arms fully around her. “I’m  _ feline _ pretty bad,  _ Purr _ -incess. What are you going to do?”

“Don’t you mean ‘What am I going to do to fix this  _ cat _ -astrophe?’ if you’re going to dive right into the jokes.” Marinette jokes back, pulling away from him just enough to be able to look him in the eyes. “You’re not as  _ punny _ as you think.”

For some odd reason, her saying this only made Chat Noir purr louder, a fact that Marinette didn’t miss.

“It’s actually hard to talk like this,” He pouts, burying his face into her neck -unintentionally leaving his scent there. “I’ll have you know.”

Marinette shrugs, not bothered by it. “Then stop talking.”

Chat scoffs, seemingly offended by this yet he does, in fact, stop talking.

After a few minutes Marinette tells him to grab the sweatshirt and mask with his staff, the adjustments are done by hand and with the needle that’s still stuck in the side of the mask.

Sheepishly telling him what she made, how it was padded in all the places she knew he got hit the most and how the mask was hard to remove unless you knew how to undo it -which was by a button on the very edge on the mask that doesn’t look like a button. He was impressed by it all, especially the spot to hide his miraculous.

“Can I try it on now?”

“Yeah of course, um, if you actually want it...”

“Stop doubting yourself Marinette,” Chat laughs, grabbing the sweatshirt and mask. “Of course I want it. Plagg probably appreciates it too, where can I detransform?”

“I don’t want anyone to see you from the windows, so I’ll go downstairs and you can meet me there?”

  
  


✧ ★ ✧

  
  


Coming down just in his green fuzzy socks, grey sweatpants and what Marinette made for him, Chat Noir was quite happy with the mask.

Plagg was even happier that now his oblivious human was downstairs, him and Tikki could talk. 

Mullo stayed with Marinette, wanting to be close in case anything happened.

Admittedly it didn’t take Chat long at all to put the sweatshirt and mask on, he just looked over her room trying to take everything in when his senses aren’t completely overwhelmed. Though they were still greater than normal, especially his sense of smell, there was something about being human that was relieving to Adrien after wearing the suit for a long time.

It let him notice the picture wall she has in the corner, half hidden by a mannequin like she didn’t want to see it. On it was a picture with all her friends. There was a lot of her and Alya, even Alya and the twins. There was Alya and Nino, Marinette and Nino. Nino and Adrien himself, then just Adrien. There was Juleka and Rose, Ivan and Mylene, Kim and Alix. There was Kim and Max with Markov. She had a picture with everyone else too, even just with Markov. She had pictures with Nathaniel and Marc, of Kagami sparring with Adrien and Kagami herself. Of Kagami and Chloe and yes, even pictures with Chloe.

The only pictures she didn’t have were pictures of herself with Adrien.

Chat took a little too long to notice that, notice that the pictures they were in together he seemed the furthest away from her or he was with someone else.

It seemed kind of ironic that she didn’t have any pictures of the model.

As Adrien, he knew he had to change things -she genuinely believed that he didn’t like her even back then. 

He wanted her to know how much he respects her, he wanted her to know how absolutely amazing she was,  _ he wanted her _ -

He wanted her to be his best friend.

So why did that sound so uncertain even in his own mind?

Coming down stairs, Chat makes sure he keeps the mood light and friendly, making sure to compliment her on the outfit and all the thought she put into it but in the back of his mind there was something screaming at him the entire time.

_ You want her, _ it said.  _ Admit it. _


	5. Chapter Four: What He Regrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Four: What He Regrets  
> 5/19

**CHAPTER FOUR**

_ A hero can go anywhere, challenge anyone, as long as he has the nerve. _ _   
_ _ - _ **_Rick Riordan_ **

It wasn’t a grandiose gesture or explosive moment when Adrien Agreste realized what a certain blue eyed blue-haired girl was doing to him.

Marinette was the only girl, besides Ladybug, who ever made him red and stuttery when she was around.

It's just...Marinette always seemed good for him, and that had absolutely nothing to do with the way she looked. 

She always brought him coffee at school after a big assignment even though he never asked, and would bring him food up from the bakery during patrol without a word. 

She smelled like strawberries and chocolate; intoxicating. 

Once she read that chewing flavored gum when learning something new then chewing it again when you're supposed to remember it does the trick but then she never stopped chewing it, the best thing about it to Adrien was that her memory never got any better. 

He knew for a fact that Marinette loved to see people smile around her. 

Sometimes, while watching funny videos or joking around, she would laugh so hard that she cried and no sound came out. It was a real laugh, and he liked that. Marinette could also cry for so long when something broke her seemingly too-big heart that she'd fall asleep doing so. 

Adrien could never understand how anyone who spent her time making cookies and lucky charms just to brighten her friend's days could hate herself so much, but she did so passionately. 

Nothing was wrong with Marinette Dupain-Cheng and he would fight tooth and claw to prove it. 

She was lovely and amazing, sometimes even cocky and intimidating but if he tried to tell her that Marinette would end up insulting herself or think he was lying. 

Without trying, his Princess changed him.

Though he didn’t quite understand it, Adrien was more than aware of how flustered she would make him by just being next to her in class or hearing her giggle.

He stammered.

_ Stammered. _

Suddenly he felt like their roles were being reversed, the quiet and shy Marinette becoming more confident while the bold and confident blond was turning red, acting dorky. 

His umbrella moment was that night in the small bakery that Paris loved, it was dark outside and they were baking together quietly. No talking, just a little laughing and the sound of the oven.

Then his hood flopped down over his head, the ears on the back dropping down to make him look like a pouting kitten.

Marinette laughed.

And it sounded amazing.

When that happened Adrien couldn’t do anything then push the hood back to a comfortable spot and stare at her, a small smile on his red face. 

“I didn’t, the hood and I, just-”

That’s what he said, shocking him. It seemed like he had no control over it, no way to stop and tell his body:  _ No, please, stop. She’s not the one we’re supposed to love. It’s supposed to be Ladybug, please not her, she’s my friend. _

His body and mind wouldn’t listen to him.

Adrien wanted to know what changed and he wanted to know if the same thing changed for Marinette.

Plagg, knowing it was a bad idea that his altar ego asks about himself to get information from a girl, full heartily agreed that his master should transform into Chat Noir and confront her.

Tikki wouldn’t be happy.

Landing on her balcony is second nature at this point, nearly a nightly habit, as it is for Marinette to leave her window and hatch unlocked for him to come through.

What wasn’t normal was Marinette on the phone, a solemn expression on her face, body tense and looking like she’d rather be anywhere but there.

“...understand that? I’m trying, it’s just hard and I’m, I’m trying to be a good friend but I-” Someone cut her off, making her look to the ground. “I know that, Papa, I’m trying.”

Her father, presumably, says something else that makes her smile.

“I’m glad! Tell Nana that I love her, and Maman that I said hi!” She pauses, rolling her shoulders out. “The bakery is going good, business is still as high as it was when you left. Luka and Kagami a lot, she like to boast how competent she is at such ‘trivial’ things like the taxes but can’t make bread.”

Though Chat doesn’t catch what her father, Tom, says, he does catch the boisterous laughter from the older man.

“Alright, and what did you want me to do?” Suddenly Marinette squeaks, from noticing Chat and from what her father said. “I’m not marrying him just so you can get someone to take over the business! The only thing Adrien even knows how to make is croissants, and he says it like an American. Crow-sants. Weirdo.”

Amused and intrigued by the Adrien-talk, knowing it will help him introduce what he walks to talk about without seeing weird, Chat just sits in front of her on the floor and plays with her hoodie string -which gets him a ‘behave’ type look.

“Papa, I have to go, someone just came in -yes this late at night! Might be someone with an anniversary emergency or a lovers spat.” Marinette giggles. “Bye, je t'aime!”

Chat Noir smirks, pulling her close by using her hoodie strings until their faces were inches apart. “You’re marrying Adrien Agreste? What happened to our future, Princess.”

“I-I heard, I heard,” She instantly goes red, stammering out until she gets a grip on herself. “Leather suits look b-bad in wedding photos.”

“Oh? You don’t think I could pull it off?”

The blue-haired girl shakes her head, giggling to herself. “Silly kitty, why would you want to marry  _ me _ anyway?”

“Wait hold on, let me get this straight.” The indeed silly Chat laughs, still holding her close. “You don’t understand why someone would want to marry you?”

“Besides for chocolate croissants, I mean...no?”

Though it’s a valid answer, all due to the chocolate croissants, it’s one that makes Chat sad all the same. “Why did your dad even joke about you marrying Adrien?”

He realized around the time the embarrassment about speaking in third person and Plagg’s easy agreement registered to Chat that this was a stupid idea.

But a functioning idea nonetheless.

“My parents know well, I told you about the school-girl crush I had on Adrien, right? Yeah well...it was a little more than that. I was in love with him for three years, it was relentless. All my friends knew, I guess he was just the oblivious one. Nino even tried to set us up once but he brought Nino, I’m pretty sure she was a buffer because that’s what all the pity looks he was sending me said.” Marinette sighs, looking back up to Chat with a small smile on her face. “All the time I would talk about the kind of life I wanted to have, a husband, three kids, a hamster. Adrien was in that life.”

Chat hopefully asks “A cat?” as a way to distract him from the sudden feeling of failure slamming into his gut.

A girl like Marinette Dupain-Cheng was in love with him and  _ he didn’t notice _ .

They might at well add his name under the definition of oblivious.

His entire mouth felt dry as he speaks, “What about now? Do you still love him, I mean.”

“I...I, I gave up and I don’t even know anymore. He just became my friend again, I’m trying not to do anything wrong and make him feel awkward around me. There’s just something about him,”  _ And you, _ Marinette wanted to say. “That just draws me in. If I keep thinking about it I feel like those same feelings will start right back up again. His friendship means so much to me, I don’t want to risk it just because of my unrealistic expectations. He could never love me back, I figured that out a long time ago. Besides he’s already said, he’s in love with someone else.”

Rubbing the base of her throat, the blue-haired girl drops her eyes. 

“What about you, still in love with Ladybug? And yourself.”

“Haha, funny.” Finding it hard not to smile, Chat pretends to think about it before breaking out into a grin. “I gave up on that too. She’s in love with someone else too...and I think I’m starting to like someone else.”

Marinette didn’t quite know why hearing him say that felt like devastation, all she knew is that she had to be careful. Emotional desiccation isn’t anything to mess around with. Falling in love with a boy who is in love with someone else isn’t something the heroine plans to do again any time soon.

“Princess...the other day, when we were in the closet-”

“Oh god, I know I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do anything and I hadn’t even realized that it looked like I was f-flirting. I would never try to make you uncomfortable or make a move on you, I’m not like that!”

Holding her face in his hand, her kitty shakes his head with a tiny frown. “No, Princess, I was going to say that I wanted to kiss you. And...and if you hadn’t stopped me I would have, I’m sorry for that.”

_ Don’t be sorry, don’t, please, my heart can’t take it when all it’s telling me to do is kiss you back,  _ Marinette wants to yell, to scream. _ I wanted that too! _

Instead she just smiles at him, puts her hand over his and says, “It’s alright you silly Kitty, I wouldn’t want you to do something you’d regret.”

Later in the night, when Adrien was sitting in his bed replaying the memory over and over in his head he felt hollow inside; like something big was missing.

_ Something I regret? _ He thought.

He regrets not being a good friend before, regrets not taking pictures with her, regrets letting her slip out of his hands, regrets only bothering to have playful banter as Chat Noir before now.

Adrien wants her.

And what he regrets is not kissing her when he had the chance.


	6. Chapter Five: More Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Five; More Together  
> 6/19

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_ Find out what your hero or heroine wants, and when he or she wakes up in the morning, just follow him or her all day.  _

**_-Ray Bradbury_ **

Halloween was fast approaching.

Adrien and Marinette were spending more and more time together, she was making their halloween costumes- -the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat- -while he was making sure his fit and was cutting the fabric for her.

As an effort to get her more involved with the friend group, they all planned to meet up on Halloween at a haunted house before going over to Nino’s for the rest of the night.

Marinette was nervous about the entire thing.

_ What if she saw them and they laughed at her. What if she saw Alya and she said that she never wants to be friends again. What if Nino gave her those pity looks again. What if- _

The list was endless.

When they all met up and acted like they’ve never been apart, Alya even hugged her- -she hugged her!- -it was like a breath of fresh air. 

But then they all walked up to a giant Halloween attraction, the creepiness seemed to seep in the air. 

Alya and Sabrina looked like they were about to burst with how excited they were. Chloe looked like she was disgusted by just the sight alone and Nino looked like he wanted to throw up on Chloe. Adrien was trying his hardest to stay smiling all while Marinette just blinked up at it -not knowing what to expect, she wasn’t even disappointed.

“It’s er... _ charming _ …?” Adrien grimaces.

“They say it’s actually haunted!” Alya says excitedly, looking as though she wants to bounce. “I have been on the waiting list since January! You have to sign a waiver, but that’s because one old guy that went through had a heart attack, no big deal for young people like us. Plus, we’re all healthy. You get in a group of two, sent through a pitch black maze to start, then through tunnels and you end when everyone makes it to an escape room that we have an hour to figure out.”

“She got us on the list but I,” Using her girlfriend’s- -Sabrina’s- -hand to show off her face, Chloe smiles cheekily at the group. “Paid for it and got us the best gig tonight.”

“Me and Chloe should go first!” Sabrina squeals, blushing brightly when her girlfriend kisses the top of her head. “She punches things when she’s scared, so we’ll probably get through faster if people have to dodge her.”

“Nino runs when he’s scared and I’ve done this twice and don’t get hold back by fear but sure, Rich White Girls, be my guest and go first.”

So they did.

Then Nino and Alya followed.

At first Marinette wasn’t worried, thinking that since she’s a superhero a haunted house should be a piece of cake but then she realize that she was in fact scared because Tikki and Mullo were left outside- 

Making her completely and hopelessly human-

Making her confidence normal and quite pathetic-

Making her Can-Handle-Stress meter dipped all the way down-

Making her scream at the first jump scare.

“Adrien, Adrien,” The blue haired girl sounded frantic even to herself as she clutched onto one of his arms. “Can we l-leave, can we, can we p-please leave?”

She didn’t know that by being scared and confronted so much in her secret life it would leave her breathless by the same things in her normal one.

“The waiver we signed said we can’t leave early unless we get hurt somehow.” The blond says, gulping. If he was being honest, he hated the way she sounded. Hated that his girl was scared. “Just, here-”

Pulling her to his front, he shrugs his jacket over her and pulls the hood over her eyes. Picking her up, they clutch to each other, easily finding comfort with the feeling of safety and accomplishment.

“-this should make you feel better.”

As Chat Noir, he knew that physical contact when she’s upset helps and as Adrien he was more than willing to exploit that.

And it did help.

The trembling in Marinette’s palms went down and she was able to focus on the hero’s raging heartbeat more than anything else once she pressed her face against his neck.

“It’s okay P- Marinette, this is designed to scare you.”

“I’m a civilian wimp,” She mutters. “You’re brave.”

Smiling to himself, the blond bounces her further up on him to make sure he doesn’t drop her. “I think you’re doing perfectly fine, Nino probably had to crawl into Alya’s arms too.”

This gets her to giggle, the mental image more than funny.

Just hearing her laugh makes him relax.

It felt like an hour when Adrien finally stumbled into the escape room, clutching to Marinette who squeaked in fright as the doors slammed behind them just like it did for the other two pairs.

Alya cooed, Nino stared, Sabrina looked away and Chloe scoffed at the sight.

“I’d say get a room,” The blonde sneers. “But we’re already stuffed in this one.”

“Your bitch is showing Chlo,” Alya says back, wearing a proud smirk. “Might want to tuck it away.”

“You’re utterly ridiculous!”

The fight instantly starts between them, making their significant others share a look with each other that means something like ‘exhausting, right’. 

“You can put me down now Adrien,” A flushed Marinette says, being put on her feet and instantly shying away from him. “T-thanks.”

Adrien, trying and failing to hide his blush, merely nods.

“Now get me out of this room, glasses,” Chloe says to Nino, who rolls his eyes. “I have a party to get to.”

  
  


✧ ★ ✧

  
  


Because of Marinette’s appearance and Halloween paired two in one, Nino- -who always liked a good party- -decided to break into his parent’s liquor cabinet.

Adrien admittedly, was the first to get drunk -him never having snuck a drink until the year after third year while Nino took his first at twelve, as did a bored Marinette. With a big overprotective sister, Alya didn’t get to do any party type things until she was able to go out with her boyfriend.

“Mari,” Alya giggles, wrapping her arms around her previous best friend. “Do you still have a thing for Adrien?”

“Yeah Mari,” Drunk Adrien pulls poor Merely-Buzzed Marinette smack into him, kissing her cheek much longer than he needed to. “Still have a thing for Adrien?”

Marinette turns bright red and squeals, “Don’t ask me that! Let go, you’re making me-”

“Red? It’s adorable.” The blond says, squeezing her more. “I like it.”

“Glasses,” The other, obviously drunk, heroine teasingly calls her boyfriend. “I want to make you red.”

They disappear into Nino’s room together, laughing and giggling and red.

Adrien, taking this as the perfect time to get closer to Marinette, tackles her down to the couch. 

“Okay, okay, I get it Adrien, you want to tease me. Please get off!” Marinette starts to plead -feeling as though she’s about to explode. “I get it, A-Adrien, please-”

“Don’t you love me?” He whines, sounding a bit too much like a certain green-eyed cat.

“Not as much at the moment! You’re drunk and, and-”

“You’re my best friend Marinette, just hug me!”

“All you want is a, is a hug?”

He laughs, “What else would I want?”

“Sobriety.” She deadpans, taking a deep breath. “You’re really going to feel this in the morning, Adrien. You’re a mess.”

After a while he passes out and Marinette is left to herself, there dark thoughts start to consume her yet again.

The use of satire is meant for jesters that can make fun of kings, for the normal people to ridicule power. 

But if someone is laughing at people who are hurting, the people who are below them, it's not satire. It's bullying. 

Anytime someone 'above' Marinette upset or hurt or was downright rude to her, she was told that they're just doing it to get a rise out of her. 

That they're just doing it to annoy her. 

That they want to hurt her. 

She knew these things, of course she did. 

She knew that they were mean to her to upset her. She knew that they're trying to get on her nerves, to annoy her. She knew that they like the look on her face when she was in pain. 

Because she was upset. She was annoyed. She did get hurt. 

Yet she was still told not to get upset, because their intentions were to upset her. Not to let it get on her nerves when the goal was to annoy her. 

“Don't show pain when they're actively hurting you.” They’d say.

_ How is that not upsetting?  _

_ How could she not get upset, annoyed or hurt when that's the only thing other people tried to get her to feel?  _

_ How could she ignore that?  _

_ Why did they expect her to get over the things that were happening to her, just because someone else wanted it to be happening? _

Picking up the cherry vodka, the blue-haired girl takes a quick drink and sinks into the floor, cheeks wet and heart heavy. 

She can’t explain it, being like this...it felt safer than being surrounded by laughing friends.

Marinette can’t help it, she’s always felt more together when she was a mess.


	7. Chapter Six: Keep Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Six; Keep Up  
> 7/19

**CHAPTER SIX**

_ I am not always good and noble. I am the hero of this story, but I have my off moments.  _

**_-P.G. Wodehouse_ **

“Marinette!” Tikki’s voice snaps Marinette out of her sleep, making her groan and turn over in bed. “You need to wake up.”

“Is there an akuma running loose?” She murmurs, rubbing at her eyes.

“No,” Mullo, not so helpfully, answers. “But there’s something you should see.”

Giving out a small ‘mph’ Marinette sits up in her bed and throws her covers off, shivering as the cold air hits her body. She knew it was a mistake falling asleep in a crop top and shorts but in her defense, it was more than comfortable.

Looking at her phone, she doesn’t see anything from Ladyblog or Adrien making her scoff as she begins to climb down the ladder, “There better be a natural disaster coming my way.”

Mullo smiles at her, “Does Lila count?”

“Nope, no, nope. Not happening, I’m going back to bed!” Instantly going back up the ladder, both of her kwami’s pull on her shoulders sending her stumbling to the ground where she lands facing Chat Noir.

But this Chat Noir isn’t...he isn’t her Chat Noir.

He’s taller, his hair is cut shorter, looking like he’s 20. But his face shape is the same, his body the same, just more defined. His eyes are the same color, the smile he’s giving her is the same one it always has been. And his suit, it was sleeker and had a bright green zipper in the front and cuffs. His ears were bigger too -plus his mask had pointed edges now.

Not his suit, not her Chat.

Simple.

“Who are you?” Marinette asks shakily, trying to get as far away from him as possible but then her back just hits the wall. “Stay away from me!”

“No, no, Princess, hey, it’s okay. I am Chat Noir, I am.” His smile fell into a concerned look, instead of the chaise lounge he eases himself onto the floor across from her. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. Just breathe. Calm down. Bunny-X sent me, you know her, right?”

With trembling lips she nods, “You’re you, from the future?”

Chat nods, jaw clenching as he sees her tear-stained cheeks. “Please don’t be afraid of me Bugaboo.”

“Bugaboo?” Marinette’s eyes widen and she presses herself further into the wall. “You know-”

“Yes, oh wow, I forgot you didn’t know.” Chat grimaces, tail whipping behind him anxiously. “Uh, yeah. We know each other’s identities now.”

“Prove it. Prove you’re who you say you are.”

Thinking for a second, Chat grins. “This is what, two weeks after CleanLine attacked? We almost kissed in the closet. Nobody else was around you know, though that janitor really did put a damper on things. Oh, and your kwami’s names are Tikki and Mullo. They can vouch for me, especially Tikki.”

Looking at the red and grey kwami, they nod and fly over to Chat. “He’s him.”

Not waiting for any other information, Marinette tackles him in a hug -wrapping herself around him as she lets out a few harsh breaths. “You s-scared me.”

“I’m sorry,” The older Chat whispers, holding onto her just as tight. “I didn’t mean to. You know I wouldn’t come here and change the timeline unless I thought it was important.”

Sniffing, Marinette pulls away and wipes at her eyes. “What happens today?”

“Something with Lila that changes your future. The Ladybug from my time won’t tell me what, since this is a challenge from her, but you get hurt somehow and end up with a scar. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“A scar?” She frowns, holding her hands tighter at the back of his neck. “Where?”

“On your back.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?”

Bluebell eyes drop to the ground, “Lila has been threatening to beat me up for a while, but I try not to take her seriously. She must use a weapon or something. Must not be bad, if I’m not hospitalized or anything. Does the older me agree with you stopping it?”

His green eyes glint mischievously, “She doesn’t think it’s practical, but Bunny-X confirmed that stopping it won’t shape the future in any negative way.”

“That’s good,” Marinette pauses. “Where is she, I mean, where am I? Future me, where is she?”

“Finding the me from now.” Chat grins just at the thought. “M’Lady never wastes an opportunity to get us together.”

Marinette raises an eyebrow at Chat, “I feel like that has two meanings.”

“I forgot how young you are right now, you’re eighteen!” Standing up, Chat deposits Marinette on the longue looking a little red from how she was wrapped around him. “Oh my god, you’re so teeny tiny. You grow a little bit, not much but you fill out even more. Awh,” Cooing, he grabs her cheeks. “You’re so cute-”

Without warning, Marinette turns and bites his hand making Chat jump away from her with a yelp. “You’re not allowed to pinch my cheeks.” She scowls, trying to rub away her embarrassed blush. “And I am not cute or ‘teeny tiny’. It’s not my fault you don’t stop growing.”

Chat only smirks, shaking his hand out. “Some things never change with you, huh?”

“Chaton,” Marinette rolls her eyes. “I wouldn’t know that. You’re the one from the future. Woah...you really are tall now. Well, taller.”

Raising onto her toes, she lightly runs both her hands through his much shorter blond locks. 

“And you cut your hair? I...I like it.”

“I, woah, we cannot-” Pulling away from her, Chat grabs a pillow from her lounge to hold like a shield between them. “We can’t, stop looking so adorable like always because my brain doesn’t know the difference. Why couldn’t you grow some. God.”

“What? But I didn’t-”

“Marinette!” Luka’s voice calls from downstairs, thumping footsteps following it. “Kagami is trying to kill me.”

“Don’t come in!” Marinette quickly shouts out. “I’m um, I’m changing. Tell Kagami if she kills you I’ll fire her. Or just take away kissing privileges.”

Amused, but quite, Chat shakes his head at this. If this was his younger self, he'd have blown her a kiss but the older chat was trying not to flirt with her and be respectful.

She found that kind of funny in an adorable way.

“Okay! Kagami, my little music note, guess what? My lips are off limits until you…” Luka walks away, making them both relax. Downstairs even Kagami doesn’t connect that anything is happening upstairs.

Sighing in relief, Marinette palms her forehead -having looked down at her limited clothing in order to come up with the lie. “I’m telling myself that you let me walk around half naked for twenty minutes without telling me.” She scolds Chat, who pouts at her.

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Is his defense. “Do you feel unsafe half naked around me.”

“With that pillow between us? Pfft, no way.”

Chat grins, running a clawed hand through his hair. “This pillow is for my safety Princess, not yours.”

If incredulously oblivious looks alone could make someone stupid, Marinette’s would turn Chat’s brain inside out and he knew it.

“Are we supposed to be meeting ourselves or something,” She asks, changing topics while pulling the shirt Adrien gave her overhead and tugging on sweatpants. “Because I could transform or -why are you looking at me like that?”

His green eyes softened, smirk died away to a small genuine smile as he leaned against the wall, just watching her.

Shrugging, Chat grins a little. “I just remember you wearing that, is all.”

“Oh...I need to give it back to Adrien,” Rubbing her eyes she looks down at the shirt and shakes his head. “The rain messes with my memory, I swear. I hope he’s not mad.”

Knowing he can’t say anything, Chat stays silent until Marinette starts frowning. Putting the pillow aside, he grabs her in a hug. “You’re more amazing than you think, Princess, please stop doubting yourself.”

Laughing a little, she touches his jaw lightly. “Some things Chaton, don’t change.”

  
  


✧ ★ ✧

  
  


Ladybug flew in through Adrien’s window like she’d done it a hundred times. Of course, when he first saw her, he didn’t know anything was different.

“Kitty!” Ladybug coos at her partner, touching the ends of his hair. “It’s been a bit, huh? Still as adorably handsome as I remember.”

“Remember?” Taken aback, Adrien’s eyes widen as he sputters. “Wait, kitty? You know?”

Giggling to herself, Ladybug spins in a circle. “Notice anything new?”

Staring at her for a second, he does recognize the new fully black parts of her suit up to her calves and elbows and the wings on her back but what he says is, “You’re up to my shoulders?”

Rolling her eyes, Ladybug puts her hands on her hips. “That’s all you have to say? Bunny-X sent me four years in the past to when you were still a kitten and all you say is that I’m taller now. Didn’t say anything about the single ponytail.”

“Ponytails can be useful, in some ways. And you’re still not that tall,” Is Adrien’s rebuttal, paired with a smirk. “So, why’d Bunny-X send you back? Need my help?”

“Don’t get cocky,” Ladybug pokes his nose. “I just wanted to see you, the real problem is with the past me. I get hurt, the you my age doesn’t like it. You’re trying to change the past Kitty, not me.”

Adrien, now serious, grabs onto her elbows. “You get hurt?”

“Yeah, it’s not bad though, stop worrying. Where’s Plagg and Barkk? I have some treats for them!”

Plagg, at this, races over to Ladybug and excitedly cries out, “Is it cheese?”

Ladybug laughs, “Of course! And bacon for you, Barkk.”

“Thanks Buggie,” Barkk twirls around her hand before grabbing the bacon she pulled out of her yoyo. “I hope this isn’t anything serious.”

“It’s not. Let’s meet up with ourselves,” She gently grabs Adrien’s chin, getting close enough to kiss him -seeking her revenge on her Chat’s past self for constantly flirting with her. “Then we can discuss.”

“Yeah, yeah, um, sure.” Now red, Adrien nods. “Plagg, claws out!” 

A green light surrounds them both and soon, Chat’s tail is whipping around their ankles -Ladybug making her kitty more than nervous.

“Think you can keep up, Kitten?” She flicks his bell.

He grins, “When do I ever have trouble keeping up with you?”

  
  


✧ ★ ✧

“Chaton!” Marinette, now transformed into Multibug- -her persona when she uses Mullo, since it would be easier to tell them apart- -squeaks out as she slips on a roof. “I can’t keep up!” Squealing, she tumbles down.

With advanced speed, it’s easy to catch her but overprotective over younger Ladybug, Chat Noir growls loudly. “Be careful! Come on, you’re with me now.”

Pulling her up, Chat wraps her legs around his waist and cradles her against him, not willing to take a risk. Now, he runs much fast and forgot she still couldn’t. He’s always been faster than her, always holds back so this exact thing wouldn’t happen.

But now it did.

“You weren’t supposed to be hurt today,” Chat seethes to himself. “I already failed.”

“I tripped once Chaton, it’s not the end of the world. And I can still walk!”

“You’re not allowed to walk.”

“Chat!”

“What?” Multibug huffs at him, not able to cross her arms but if she could she would be. “Fine. You can walk when we’re on flat ground. You’re just so small and tiny and I know you get hurt today. I’m not taking any chances.”

Chat holds her tighter, using his staff to boost them onto the Eiffel Tower -their meeting spot not having changed over the years.

Ladybug and her kitty are already there, sitting on the edge close enough that young Chat is bright red. She’s been flirting with him the whole time, indeed getting revenge in her own way.

Spotting each other, Multibug turns to see them and instantly flushes at their wide eyes and curious looks. I guess her being wrapped around the older Chat was a little odd.

“He won’t let me walk,” She blurts, squirming just leading to Chat holding her tighter. “See!”

“Put me down, Chat!” Ladybug scolds him, standing up. “Why are you acting so like protective cat-mode you?”

He shrugs, not moving to put Multibug down. “She tripped.”

Younger him raises an eyebrow, knowing that she never goes fast enough to trip herself. Seeing his look, and sending him a pleading one, Multibug motions for him to grab her.

“No! She’s even tinier this way,” Chat coos, keeping her from himself. “How did I ever let you out of my sight?”

Huffing, Multibug unwraps herself from around him and grabs her Chat’s shoulders to pull herself away from him. Seeing his own hard green eyes staring at himself, Chat lets her go. 

Squeaking, she steadies herself against her partner, sighing in content. “Why do you have to get taller?”

“I can’t control it,” Chat chuckles, holding to her tighter. “You’re the short one, even all grown up.”

“Hey!” Ladybug grumbles, crossing her arms over her chest. “I am not short.”

“How tall do I get?” Multibug asks, touching the top of her head. “Please tell me I get taller than Chloe.”

Both the Chat’s make a face but it’s the older one that laughs to himself, “Sorry Babybug, but Chloe is actually like, four inches taller than you now. You only get up to five-three.”

“Five-three -that’s it?” She groans, pouting. “Why do I only grow an inch? You’re at least three inches taller! You know what, that’s fine. At least I don’t think a pillow can save me.”

Chat gasps playfully, confusing his younger self and Ladybug. “How dare you. That pillow did it’s job.”

“What job, Chaton? Hiding from me? I’m not any scarier than I am in your time.”

“Yeah, I know. You’ve never been scary.”

“Keep talking smack, and I’ll torment the you from now- -sorry Kitty- -just so you remember it.”

“You cried the first time you saw me, I think seeing that is enough torment in itself, Bugaboo.”

Pouting angrily, Multibug pokes Chat in the nose. “Bad Chat!”

Ladybug raises an eye at her partner, “Why did I cry?”

Younger Chat pulls Multibug into him, “I’m so confused, M’Lady. Help?”

Explaining the full situation, with Ladybug showing them a picture of her back- -the scar going from one shoulder blade to her spine- -goes quickly. She doesn’t tell any of them what really happens, since it doesn’t bother her and even Multibug just shrugs at the picture. It annoyed Chat more than everything, how no matter what time they’re in she doesn’t know how to care about herself.

The plan is simple.

Someone is going to be with Multibug at all times, younger Chat transforming into Noir Moon -his alias when Barkk is being used.

The four stayed at the Eiffel Tower until around Midnight, when Ladybug and Noir Moon stayed to do patrol, Multimouse and Chat went to the hotel room that the Mayor supplied them connected to the top floor of Le Grand Paris that has no surveillance and is only unlocked from the outside -only able to be reached by the window someone without a Miraculous couldn’t get to.

That room has hidden their identities more than once.

“Chaton?” The heroine asks quietly, making the silly kitty turn towards the little mouse. “Do...with you in your time...am I able to...do I get happy?”

Chat Noir smiles, holding the blue-haired girl hostage with those green eyes of his that never change. “You’re very happy, it takes a while, takes work and love. But you get happy, and I’ve always been proud of you for being strong enough to help yourself like that.”

Yet again Marinette lets herself take comfort and cry with Chat.

_ She’s going to be okay. _

And that’s all she had to remember.


	8. Chapter Seven: As Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Seven; As Friends  
> 8/19

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

_ I have never been especially impressed by the heroics of people convinced they are about to change the world. I am more awed by those who struggle to make one small difference.  _

**_-Ellen Goodman_ **

“Mari...Marinette?” Adrien says right when the last bell of the day rang, grabbing onto her elbow so she doesn’t rush to leave, making her turn towards him with a smile. “I just realized I don’t have any pictures with you and I want some. Want to go on a date with me tonight and get some?”

Her cheeks flame red, “Y-you mean as friends?”

Sheepishness overtakes Adrien because no, no he didn’t mean as friends he meant that as walk you home and slowly lean in for a goodnight kiss not as friends.

“Yeah,” The blond sighs, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. “As friends.”

“Oh.” She realizes that she feels guilty about wanting to be with Adrien the same time that she feels guilty for not already being with Chat Noir. Hiding despair with a smile, the blue-haired girl nods at him. “I’d like that!”

Sliding onto their desk, Lila ‘accidentally’ pushes Marinette’s things to the floor -making them both think she’s becoming a professional interrupter. 

Lila smirks, “Adrien, don’t you remember that me and my friends are going to the skating rink after school today? I invited you a week ago and you said you’d think about it.”

“I thought about it,” Adrien says blankly, crossing his arms. “And I’m not going.”

“Awh,” The liar whines. “But you’d have so much more fun there. You’re good at skating, you’d be with me and surrounded by friends. Doesn’t that sound better than being with one miserable charity case? You can work on her later.”

When green eyes look at her like he’s pleading for help but brown eyes are glaring at her in a warning, as a “Don’t you dare.” kind of threat too.

She'd rather be a disappointment than be hurt or gaslighted again.

“Lila is right, Adrien.” Marinette says softly, picking up her things all while avoiding contact with him. “Lots of friends are better than just one, besides I’m too clumsy on ice and have a lot of homework I should do anyway. Thank you for offering though, I really appreciate it.”

She’s quick to dunk out of the room, chin to her chest.

_ Every time I think I’ve helped her a little bit,  _ Adrien thinks sourly. _ Something happens or Lila puts her down and we’re back to square one. _

“You know what Lila, you’re nothing but a coward, a liar and a fake.” The blond says, slamming his hands down on the table. Harsh green eyes dig into Lila, making her gulp and jump to her feet. “I knew it back then when you first arrived and I know it now too. I don’t want to be your friend, I don’t even want to be around you. No amount of manipulation is going to change that, especially if you keep hurting someone I do care about.” 

Scoffing to himself, the hero grabs his bag and stalks by her.

“Next time you want to try insulting Marinette or call her a charity case, maybe you should remember the solid  _ I _ did  _ you _ every time I  _ didn’t _ turn in the pool of proof I have of your lies. Lies that could get you expelled. Don’t test your luck, Lie-la, or you might just have a new kind of memory to go with my proof.”

Lila’s jaw drops.

Adrien just walks out, a smirk on his lips and head held high.

  
  


✧ ★ ✧

The bakery door opens, Adrien walking through with a smile on his face. “I heard this place sells the  _ best _ chocolate croissants...could I get some?”

“Yeah, of course! Give me a moment to get to the counter I’m just -Adrien? Adrien!” Marinette pushes past the counter doors to hug the blond, giggling to herself. “I thought you were going with Lila.”

“You’re much better company,” Adrien tells her, hugging her back just as tight. “You said you had a lot of homework, right? So let's get to work. Luka and Kagami already agreed to watch the shop tonight.”

Bluebell eyes blink up at him, as if not understand anything he said. “You...you didn’t go with Lila and went out of your way to get someone to take care of a bakery you’re not involved with just to do...homework, with  _ me _ ?”

His smirk comes back, “Of course I did, that’s what best friends are for.”

“Best friends,” Marinette gulps. “Right.”

Putting up the ‘We’re closed!’ sign until Kagami and Luka make it there, the two heroes go up to Marinette’s room. 

It’s there Adrien realizes he’s acting way too comfortable and familiar in her home than he should be. “P- Mari?” He says, looking around as though he’s just noticing everything. “I like what you’ve done with your house and bakery, I think your parents would like it.”

She smiles widely, “Thanks!”

Leading him over to the chaise lounge, she pulls out her school tablet and they quickly get to work. While Adrien is on his side, flicking through his phone- -having already finished the homework and is just enjoying his company- -Marinette is resting against his legs with her legs kicked up on the wall to have something to write against.

It was comfortable and felt normal and they both liked it.

They didn’t need to talk or ask questions.

There wasn’t awkward silence.

Just two people in love finding comfortable with each other without even knowing it.

The little voice in the back of Marinette’s head was starting to ruin it for her, saying over and over again,  _ it’s supposed to be Chat. Cheater. _

But Marinette can’t even explain it to herself how her emotions for her kitty and her ‘best friend’ have merged into one solid thing.

The only part about it that wavered was her.

It just didn’t make sense.

To distract herself- -and because Calculus was giving her a headache from how mind numbingly boring it is- -Marinette puts her tablet down and picks up her phone -catching Adrien’s attention.

“Time for a photoshoot!” The blue-haired girl chirps, pulling Adrien to sit up.

He groans, hiding a grin. “As if I hadn’t heard that sentence enough already.”

Trying to take a picture the first few times doesn’t work, all due to green eyes stuck to Marinette’s face instead of the camera.

She scoffs, “Alright Agreste, stop looking at me and show me the smile they pay you for.”

This forces a smile to his face, loving the playful side of Marinette. “You’re the one that needs to smile, Dupain-Cheng.”

“I did smile!”

“Didn’t see it.”

“You were staring at my face and you missed my smile? The only thing that was noticeable about my features at the time, and you missed it. Wouldn’t you be a great detective?”

“Sarcasm isn’t necessary,” Adrien winks, smirking. “I’ll smile for you anytime.”

Marinette was already trying to hold back her blush but this flirtatious comment opened up the floodgates and she turned bright red. “We’re t-taking pictures, Adrien, just-”

“Actually Mari, you pressed the video button…” He says, snickering behind one of his hands. “You just recorded everything.”

“Oh no, I have to delete it!”

“Don’t you dare!”

Scrambling away from him, they try to dodge each other from getting the phone only to get knocked down together on her floor.

Her phone bounces across the space but the tall boy keeps his weight on her, pinning her body down as he grabs it. “Got it! Now all I have do is send it to myself,” Doing just that, Adrien can feel her squirm and hears her squeal as he flops down completely on her but just ignores it. “And voilà, I have it forever.”

Marinette, unamused but still red, grumbles out, “You’re terrible.”

“You know I’m tired now,” Adrien wraps his arms around her waist as turns over -them landed on one of the messes of pillows and blankets Marinette has on her floor. “Nap time?”

“As long as I can get a picture of your bedhead when we wake up.”

Burying his face into her shoulder, Adrien nods. “Deal.”

  
  
  


✧ ★ ✧

  
  


They’re awoken by a loud boom, the bakery shaking so hard that the windows are blasted out and the two heroes are thrown to the floor.

“Marinette!” Adrien shouts, scooping her in his arms -running straight upstairs with her. “Stay here, I forgot my phone.”

“Wait Adrien, no, you’re more important than your p-”

The hatch slams behind him, the blue-haired girl falls to the ground with another shake, instantly turning to find Tikki and Mullo only to see Chat Noir slamming into her window. He falls only to be slammed again and again by whatever this Akuma is.

Tikki, who flys up to her master, squeaks out, “Go help him Marinette!”

“As me or Ladybug?” Marinette asks, panicking. “Wait -Adrien’s downstairs!”

Not taking the time to worry about herself or transform, the heroine rushes downstairs only to find the bakery in shatters and one of Adrien’s orange shoes on the ground.

Marinette has to dodge out of the way as Chat is thrown inside, but instantly goes to help him to his feet. “Chat, Chat!” She grabs his arm, making him pause -her usually never interrupting him when he’s doing his job. “Adrien was down here but another bomb went off, you have to help me find him. He’s in danger!”

Chat Noir, as if this was funny in some way- -which it’s not, so it infuriates Marinette- -smiles. “He’s already safe, Princess, don’t worry about him. I got it all taken care of.”

Trusting her kitty and his cocky I-do-my-job-and-well wink, she lets him get back to fighting the Akuma and rushes upstairs to her kwamis again.

“Tikki, spots on! Mullo, get squeaky!” The blue-haired girl shouts. “Tikki, Mullo, combine!”

The fight against Neglige- -her being a wife whose husband cheated on her and set out destroying everything she knew were momentums of happy couples -the famous  _ Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie _ being one of them- -ends quickly. 

Her akuma was in her wedding ring, her powers similar to cataclysm but flicked out from each finger rather than a plain palm print.

Neglige did agree when Ladybug and Chat Noir talked to her to either get a quick divorce or marriage counseling, since she nearly had a hundred civilian casualties.

Ladybug winks at Chat, “Good job today Chaton, I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks LB,” Chat Noir winks right back, saluting her. “I’m proud of you too.”

“Punch it in.”

Giving each other a quick ‘you know we’ll see each other soon stop saying goodbye all the time’ wave, Chat vaults off with his staff and Marinette swings around the side of her newly fixed Akuma free bakery only to slip back up the roof and fall into her room.

“Tikki, Mullo, separate. Tikki, spots off and Mullo, stop squeaking.” Marinette commands, dropping down quickly onto her Chaise Lounge. “There’s already cheese and cookies in the minifridge and the box above it, thank you again Kiki, Mu. I appreciate you both so much.”

The kwamis giggle and return the sentiment.

They sit in peace until Marinette’s phone rings off the hook, making Marinette herself tumble clumsily off of her lounge only to notice Adrien’s bags still in her room. 

Dread fills her when she sees Nathalie Sancoeur, his keeper, is calling her.

She already has five missed calls and one text from the Gorilla, her bodyguard.

Hands shaky, she answers, “H-hello?”

“You know who this is,” Nathalie answers, sounding calm but Marinette has spoken to her enough times to recognize this as her snappy voice. “Where is Adrien?”

“He should be here soon? Chat Noir took him to shelter because of the akuma, he didn’t go home?”

“No! He didn’t go home, you go and find him right now young lady or you will be restricted from ever seeing Adrien again. Understood?”

“Um...yes,” Marinette gulps, making frantic eye contact with Tikki. “Understood.”

There’s a minute of silence before the blue-haired girl throws her phone across the room with a frustrated scream. Stomping over to the device she gives out a tiny shriek again before calling Chat Noir’s number.

Both her and Chat have a phone given to them by the Mayor specifically to contact each other in civilian form, nobody can trace it.

Marinette is seething by the time he answers the phone, sounding like he had just been running. She doesn’t care and shouts "You!" into the speaker of her phone she’d be surprised if it didn’t damage his sensitive hearing abilities.

"What did I-" 

"You told me you saved Adrien during the last attack but I just got a call from his father's assistant and his bodyguard is parked outside my house! They're asking where he is. Did you actually save him? Did you even see him at all! Where is he, Chat? Why did you lie to me?" 

"I-" Chat cuts himself off, grunting. “I swear Adrien is safe. Last I saw he was on the way back to the bakery when I was on my way home. It’s okay, Princess, I’m sorry I did something that caused so much confusion. He’s safe, I wouldn’t lie about that.”

“Promise?” The heroine sniffs out, holding onto herself. “Promise me, Chaton.”

“I promise.”

She hated that, making promises about things like she was twelve and still thought pinky promises meant something unbreakable.

To her, it truly felt pathetic.

Marinette felt pathetic.

Sniffing again, she wipes at her eyes. “I’m sorry I yelled at you Kitty, I swear I didn’t mean to call you a liar. I would never...I know how good of a person you are and I know I can trust you. It’s just-”

“Princess you were worried about a friend, I understand it,” Smiling softly down at his phone, Chat Noir finds himself leaning against the bakery door -so absorbed in the conversation with his girl that he doesn’t go up to talk to her. “If anything happened to you...it wouldn’t be a pretty sight. I know that, and I’d definitely do a lot more than yell.”

“I’m sorry again, Chat, you know I love you.”

“I know Princess, I love you too.”

_ Just not in the way you’d want to be loved. _


	9. Chapter Eight: Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Eight: Peace  
> 9/19

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

_ A real hero doesn't expect to be thanked or even recognized.  _

**_-Tom Collins_ **

Chat was already in Marinette’s room, him detransformed with the sweatshirt and mask on. 

She had croissants ready for him, the book for herself that he picked up last time on her chaise lounge. 

"Careful Princess," He laughed, biting into the pastry that he requests more nights than he doesn't. "If you keep this up we might have to fall in love and marry you to feed my addiction."

Marinette clenched her fists because it gave her something to focus on that wasn't cupping Chat's jaw in her hands and kissing him. She tried to make her words sound normal instead of shaky lies; it was all lies. 

The only truth on her tongue right now was  _ I want you, I want you, I want you. _

She tried to cool down, take off her jacket and distract herself by drawing but even with cold air and pencil in hand he was still over there. Perfect hair, lightly humming, a small smirk-like smile on his face and sun kissed skin. He still didn't look up at her, was still reading his book. 

He was funny and cracked jokes at every opportunity, he was brave and confident but he didn't act recklessly, he was intelligent and lovely and caring. 

It seemed like he really was perfect. 

The heroine didn't think it was fair, how could he act like that without knowing that everything he is doing is getting her to love him.

“Chat do you ever think a-about...nevermind, sorry, that’s um, that’s stupid.” Not wanting to give her love away or start shaking, the blue-haired girl jumps up from her chaise lounge. Her kitty watches as she walks, a small confused smile on his lips. “It’s the weekend Chaton, doesn’t this sound like the perfect time for an all nighter?”

“It is the  _ purr _ -fect time, yes.”

It was well past three in the morning when Chat and Marinette gave up on the idea of completing an all nighter, usually they were easy for Marinette but right now her body was craving to fall asleep next to him.

“You’re a terrible person to yourself when you’re trying to sleep.” He mutters, both of them sitting up in her bed. “I hope you know that.”

Marinette shrugs, letting out a tiny giggle. “There’s worse things I could be.”

“Like what?”

“A thief or a liar...I mean,  _ technically _ , I’m both, but I think with context that’s actually a good thing.”

This more than intrigued Chat, even if he wasn’t drunk it still would have. “You’re a liar and a thief? Explain yourself Princess,” The kitty crawls tiredly onto Marinette’s lap, turning over so his head is on her thighs and they can look at each other. “Because you don’t look like a thief.”

Giggling, the heroine begins to run her fingers through his hair. “Oh I’m sorry, I didn’t know that I needed to look like the Hamburglar to be a thief, Chaton.”

“The Hamburglar is a serious villain, my love,” Snickers out Chat Noir -not quite paying attention to everything he’s saying. “But you’d look good even in stripes. So, thief, what have you been stealing lately besides my heart?”

“You’re horribly flirtatious tonight you silly Kitty,” Saying this, Marinette would be lying if she told someone she wasn’t red. “Once I stole Adrien Agreste’s phone. It was mortifying. He thought he lost it but I snuck it back to him before he noticed.”

“What!” Chat’s eyes widen, his hands grabbing onto one of her wrists. “Why did you do that?”

“Because I left him a voicemail on accident when I was talking to Alya that started out with ‘Hey, hot stuff’ and ended with me asking him out on a date preceded by me becoming a mess and stating that I’ll foam at the mouth.” 

Instantly this has Chat shaking with laughter.

She pouts, crossing her arms. “You weren’t supposed to judge me.”

“Sorry Princess,” A deep purr starts in her kitty’s chest, as if it’s going to bribe her not to be mad at him. It was working. “I don’t want to be judging you either. It’s just...I’m tired so I’ll laugh more but even if I was wide awake, I’d still kill to hear that voicemail.”

Taking him in her arms, they fall asleep together one more time, no blaring alarms or kwamis wanting to wake them up in the morning.

  
  


**✧ ★ ✧**

  
  


“Chat.” Marinette complains, throwing a piece of a croissant at him without looking up. “You’re blocking my view of the second page.”

“Princess, I am the view.” Chat says cockily, not moving.

Glaring, she looks up fully prepared to scold him for standing between her and the light but then she sees him.

The tom cat has his sweatpants on, a towel wrapped around his neck and the mask on but no hoodie. Meaning his muscles were on display, his deep V-Line prominent and biceps bulging from how he had them lazily lifted behind his head. His hair was even more messy than normal, being ruffled after his shower and sticking up wildly in every direction.

Chat Noir wasn’t even trying and he managed to be hot.

Flushing red, the heroine squeaks and sinks into the couch -aware that she was just caught checking him out, hell, she was practically drooling.

“Nope, no, no, nopity, nope,” Scrambling up and away from Chat, who had accidentally started purring at the look of appreciation, Marinette manages to trip over herself and tumble down. “Eek!”

With fast instincts, Chat manages to catch her. 

Well, catch her by pinning her waist to his, accidentally pushing their hips together by the force of it and bracing their bodies with one arm on the wall above their heads.

“H-hi.” He stammers, gulping.

Bright red she replies “...hi.” back.

“Princess, yesterday when you...you were going to ask me something. What was it?”

Do you ever think about being more than friends?

Do you ever think that you could date someone as a hero?

Do you ever think about kissing me like I want to kiss you?

_ Do you ever think about us? _

That’s what she was going to ask, and she’s terrified because she doesn’t know what his answer will be. She’s scared to find out and feels like a coward for it.

“Chat I can’t,” Hanging her head, Marinette rests against his collarbone, hands still gripping his shoulders where she grabbed him from the surprise. “It’s...I’ll freak you out and I -this friendship is so important to me Chaton, I don’t, because it...it will mess everything up.”

“Please Marinette, you don’t understand I need to know-”

_ I need to know if you love me how I love you. _

“-just please, ask, say what you wanted to, do what you wanted to.”

Caving into her body’s desires, Marinette grabs either end of the towel and tugs Chat flush into her -raising up on her toes and pressing her lips against his.

Instantly- -without hesitating for a moment- -the hero melts into the blue-haired girl, kissing her back.

Marinette's arms slip around his neck, letting her hands bury into his blond locks all while bringing their chests closer. Suddenly his hands are on her waist, lifting her up and pressing her into the wall.

She gasps for air but after a second she stops caring about how much she’s breathing and pulls him back to her for another kiss.

Their lips move together creating a moment of heat between them, showing each other just how long they’ve been waiting to do this.

Her hands tug on his hair, angling his head to the side to put more pressure against his lips -causing him to purr into her mouth, unable to stop the sound from escaping.

“Princess,” He purrs out, pulling away from her. “You need to breathe.”

“No I don’t.” The heroine says scoldingly, kissing him again. “Just please, kiss me.”

Holding her tighter to him, he does just that until they both become aware of snickering beside them.

“Good job Kid,” Plagg laughs out, buzzing up right beside Chat’s head as he pulls away -both of them red. “Took you long enough.”

“Thanks Plagg.” Chat mutters out, embarrassed to have been caught kissing, as he turns back to look down at Marinette. “Was that...is that okay, that we did that?”

Apparently speechless, she weakly nods.

She  _ kissed  _ Chat Noir.

She kissed  _ Chat Noir _ .

“Are you sure, because you look like you regret that. And I totally get it. I understand. I’m a hero, and it’s complicated, and I shouldn’t have pinned you and kissing you was probably out of line-”

“No, you’re fine!” Marinette leans up to peck him again. “The only thing that I’m...worried about...is, you’re -you’re superhero, Chaton.”

_ And so am I. _

“How do you expect this to work, between us? You can’t even tell me your name or about your life without giving yourself away -and putting everyone you love in danger.”

The tom cat gulps, shrugging to himself. “I don’t...I don’t have the answers you’re looking for. Not at all. I just -us being friends has worked, us spending time together and me telling you about myself without letting you know who I am.” He sighs, sinking into her. “I want to try, Princess. Just try.”

Relief floods Marinette and she finds herself hugging her kitty, not caring that he’s shirtless or about the laugh that follows.

This was...this was peace.

And Marinette thought it was about time she felt it.


	10. Chapter Nine: Trapped Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miraculous Fanfic // Night Sky // Chapter Nine; Trapped Together  
> 10/19

**CHAPTER NINE**

_ You carry the hopes of humanity into the realm of the eternal. Monsters never die. They are reborn from the chaos and barbarism that is always bubbling underneath civilization, the very stuff that makes Kronos stronger. They must be defeated again and again, kept at bay. Heroes embody that struggle. You fight the battles humanity must win, every generation, in order to stay human.   
_ **_-Rick Riordan_ **

"I'm going to the pet store, Chat," Marinette sighs, flicking his bell before turning away from him. "Kagami told me she's sick of me living alone...I'm getting a cat."

The tom cat pouts, “I can’t go with you, can I?”

“...put on sunglasses over your mask and wear a hoodie.”

Normally, the heroine wouldn’t risk something like this and definitely wouldn’t suggest this but she didn’t want to leave his side yet -a move she deems as selfish, as she didn’t miss Tikki and Mullo’s eyes on her.

As Chat tugs on his jacket, Tikki flies into her master’s purse but Mullo doesn’t make it -which was fine, she used Mullo for her last two patrol nights.

Getting to the pet shop was frustrating, because the directions Alya sent weren’t the best but eventually they made it there.

It was a cozy small place -basically an apartment for foster animals to be adopted permanently from.

Finding the cats was easy and Marinette was quickly found herself drawn to the white cat with blue eyes. 

“Is this one old enough yet?” She asks the worker, who nods happily. "What should I name it?"

"Chat Junior." 

"No! Chaton, I'm not naming this poor cat Chat Junior. I want something...well, cool, for one but an original name too." 

"Oh sure, cooler than me? Impossible, Princess. But fine, how about...Camembert?" 

"Uh..." Marinette's nose wrinkles, but looking down at the white kitten who is gnawing on Chat's finger she realizes that though it's weird, it fits. "Okay fine. Camembert. But I'm calling him Cam!" 

Knowing Plagg would be snickering so hard right now, Chat Noir can't help but to smirk. 

"Don't look so smug, or I'm going to name him Chat Blanc just to spite you." 

"Fine, fine," 

Her kitty rolls his green eyes, still grinning. "I'm just glad that he has a family now, you're the mom and I can be the dad that visits on the weekends." 

The blue-haired girl can't help herself anymore and so she bursts into laughter, "You'd be more like the crazy weird uncle." 

"Hey," Chat playfully snaps, pouting down to her. "Not in front of our son!"

A woman banging on the window startles them both, making Chat tense as he turns towards Marinette. “What if it’s-”

“Akuma!” The man that’s beside the window opens the door to yell this. “You all need to get somewhere safe, they’re capturing people.”

Marinette hands Camembert to her kitty, motioning for him to stand. “Go back to my apartment, you’ll be able to transform there.”

All she wondered was if Mullo would be able to handle the cat.

Chat Noir gives her a small peck on the forehead before taking off out the doors, making Marinette sigh.

Running to the back alley, Marinette grins down at her kwami. “Let’s do this thing. Tikki, spots on!”

The power that filled her set a weight on her shoulders but also set her mind free. Things around her became clearer.

Picking her yoyo up from her hip was second nature and Ladybug didn’t have to question her safety for a second as she vaulted into the sky.

Landing on the Eiffel Tower, she opens her yoyo to scan for damage -finding the akuma signature by the construction site next to the Seine. Sending the information to Chat Noir, she quickly makes her way over to see the damage.

Sometimes, without Chat, she doesn’t think she can actually defeat an akuma.

The akuma, who has yet to announce their name, is shooting giant blobs of setting concrete at people and things while simultaneously trapping them in holes. Definitely one you’d expect to find near a construction site.

“Hey, Bob the Builder!” Shouting this is how Chat decides to announce himself.

_ The savior of Paris everyone. _

“My name is Excavator,” He shouts in reply, hands now pointed right at the alley cat. “And I need something you have.”

Something is clearly different about this akuma, because instead of tricking them or trying to get them to surrender their miraculous this one is clearly more...murderous.

Calling on her lucky charm, and getting a pound of sugar, leads the blue-haired girl to frantically try to figure it out.

As they’re fighting and getting closer, Ladybug notices the way Chat’s completely about to be crushed. Clearly, he’s taking all the attention on himself just so she could come up with something. With one giant concrete attack crumbled to nothing from his cataclysm, he’s out of options.

A panic like none she’s ever felt crushes her chest.

She drops her lucky charm.

Taking off, with no regard for herself, the heroine tackles her partner out of the way only to roll into one of Excavator’s holes.

“Omph!” Chat Noir exclaims, taking the hit hard on his back.

Sighing in relief, Ladybug hugs her partner tighter around the neck before pulling away. Flicking his bell, she says “You have to be careful, Kitty.” in a scolding voice -one that might give away how scared she actually is.

“It was me or you, My Lady.” He says, hand going to his head as the hero struggles to catch his breath. “And I’d rather save you, you’re clearly the main character in this story.”

“I need you.” It wasn’t the first time that the heroine said this to Chat but it was the first time that the emotion in her voice truly made him listen. “You can’t think like that I can’t...I can’t do this without you. We’re both main characters, Chat.”

Looking down, Ladybug takes in the position they’re in and finds herself scrambling off of him with flushed cheeks.

“Do you think he knows that we’re trapped in-”

As she was speaking, the walls close in then drop down like bars, the ceiling lowering and the sound of metal scraping on metal sounding out.

Moving fast, the two heroes brace themselves but end up losing control and nearly getting crushed.

It wasn’t the first time Ladybug and Chat Noir were trapped together, but it was the first time that they were pressed close in by every wall and against each other.

She was worried when he didn’t make any jokes or flirt, but concerned when he started shaking. 

"Chat?" She questions, able to run a hand over his hair. "You're shaking, what's wrong?" 

"I-" His voice cracks, panting through labored breath. "I don't, I can't, I can't be l-locked up." 

Ladybug tries to back away from him but the wall, as if sensing this, moved even closer. "Oh kitty, I'm so sorry. I'll get us out of here as soon as possible, okay? Just hang on a little longer." 

"I'll, I-"

The walls close in tighter, making him gasp out.

Then Excavator is digging the top out and putting a clawed hand towards them.

Ladybug holds the tom cat to her, a hand protectively clutching his head as the blond collapsed onto her. “Stay away from him!”

“Awh,” The villain coos. “I’d listen to you if you didn’t have something I need.”

Holding him closer to her, Ladybug throws her hand and the yoyo in the air, knocking Excavator back. Acting as fast as she can, the heroine wraps her weapon around Excavator’s arm.

As he stumbles to a stand still, they get tugged out of the hole but get sent flying into the nearby Seine by the angry way Excavator tosses them off of him.

Chat was able to instantly perk back up, albeit shakily, and start to swim to the surface only to realize that his lady was struggling behind him, not having been able to take a breath in before diving into the water.

And, well...Chat had been holding his breath for a while.

Using his baton, he extends it to her and with a nod in her direction, sends her to the surface.

After surfacing, before the hero could take a single clear breath in, the air is squished out of him as Ladybug gives him a fierce hug.

“Don’t you ever do that to me again,” Ladybug chokes out. “Without you I can’t- I can’t be a hero without you. I can’t save Paris without you. Don’t you ever do that again.”

“You just proved you could be a hero without me, M’Lady,” Chat Noir gently tells her, wiping her cheek dry as he searches her wavering bluebell eyes. “But don’t worry, you’re stuck with me.”

Despite herself, Ladybug laughs. “Silly Kitty.”

“Bugaboo,” Turning the conversation playful, he winks. “Shall we get back to our pesky concrete friend?”

Just as playfully back, she raises the hand she’s holding her yoyo with. “Way ahead of you, Chaton.”

And just like that, they get back to doing what they do best together.

Save Paris.

And each other.


End file.
